Steven Universe - Lapidot - High School AU
by Auremberite
Summary: Lapis, water-loving, generally misunderstood delinquent, and Peridot, a loyal and brave teen find themselves as roommates at their new boarding school. As their love builds, so do the tensions around them. With Jasper hanging around and feelings running wild, can Lapis and Peridot find a way to be with each other? Human AU. Rated T for mild violence.
1. Fresh Start

**Welcome to this Lapidot Human High school AU. This story aims to break each character's cliches; Peridot isn't a total video game nerd, and Lapis doesn't swim. That being said, I remade this story, as the grammar and formatting was overall too much to handle, and many plot concepts could've been handled much better, and changing it would've meant redoing every chapter completely. I felt that I should keep the integrity of the story (and prevent confusion in past readers) by making it in a new document. It is attached to this account, so please read that one and not this. Thanks.**

Peridot:

I walked through the doors of my new high school, Homeworld High. It was a nice five story school in the middle of a forest in a small town called Beach City. I'd transferred mid-year because I'd hated my old school. I'd probably hate this one, too. I liked the learning, but not socializing. And this place was a boarding school. Great.

I walked down the hallways, unsure of what to do. I pulled my green binder out of my green backpack – my favorite color was green – and I glanced at my schedule, which I'd printed on green paper.

"Homeroom 104," I read aloud.

I glanced around. The hallways were empty. Perfect, I was already late on my first day.

I hear the flush of a toilet, and I see a pretty girl with blue hair walk out of the girl's bathroom. I almost immediately blush. Calling her pretty was a huge understatement. She had blue hair that came down to her shoulders, pale freckles, and a mischievous grin. She was wearing a black tank top, bleached jean shorts, a blue hoodie wrapped around her waist, and a black beanie. I almost immediately blushed.

I had to talk to her. I couldn't let someone so beautiful pass me by. "Excuse me, but could you tell me where Homeroom 104 is?" I manage to stutter.

The girl smirks, and I feel a chill run down my spine. "Sure thing, Greenie," she replies.

"Greenie?" I question.

She looks me up and down. "Yeah, we have school uniforms here. And in case you're wondering, they're not green." She said.

I looked down at what I was wearing. I had on a lime green hoodie with dark green leggings. My shoes were green converse. I could already tell what a great impression I was going to make here.

I blushed. "Not everything I own is green," I stammer.

She gives me a lopsided smile, one that lights up the room and only makes me want to know her more. I blush silently.

"Whatever, dude. I'll take you to your homeroom. Just follow me," she says with a shrug.

Just then, my feet started to get wet. I looked down and saw water pooling around the bathroom door.

"We should probably hurry, though. I kind of flooded the bathrooms. Again." The blue haired girl said, still smirking.

"How do you flood the bathrooms more than once?" I exclaim.

"What can I say? I'd call it talent, but that would hint that I know what I'm doing, which I clearly don't." She pauses at the sound of footsteps. "Are you coming or not?" she says, a tone of urgency in her voice.

I nod, and begin to run. We're making good progress, until I feel my foot slip out from under me.

"I'm falling!" I exclaim.

She turns back around and glances behind me. I know that if she stops to steady me, the person coming will catch us. Her faces sets in a mask of determination, and she rushes forward to steady me. But she's too late, and I begin to fall. She reaches out and catches me in her outstretched arms. We look into each other's eyes for a moment, my pale green against her ice blue.

I realize I'd been staring, and she had too, and I feel heat rise to my cheeks. The girl smiles gently, as if reading my thoughts.

Suddenly, the footsteps we heard earlier stop. I look up and see a muscular girl with a fake but expensive tan and white bleached hair staring at us. The blue haired girl gasps and drops me. I hit the floor with a soft thud.

"Jasper." She whispers, clearly terrified.

oO0Oo

The girl called Jasper struts over. I can't quite read the look on her face; but it's both arrogant, angry, and happy all at the same time. I'd seen that look before at my old school. It was usually plastered on every bullies' face right as they found the best way to torment me.

"Well, well, well. Are you hitting on my Lapis?" Jasper asks.

The blue haired girl – I think Jasper called her Lapis – takes a step back. "No, Jasper, she was slipping, and I-" Lapis says, cut off at the end.

"You think you can make a move on my Lapis when I'm not watching?" Jasper interrupts, looking at me.

I gulp. "No, it's not like that, I…" I stutter.

"And I'm not yours, Jasper. I never have been, and I never will be." Lapis cuts through my pathetic stammering.

Jasper walks up to Lapis. The blue-haired girl freezes with fright as Jasper picks her up by the front of her shirt and throws her backwards. I'll never forget the look on her face; an expression of pure terror. It lasted only a second, right up until she hit the wall behind her, crying out on contact. She limply falls to the ground, and her eyes flutter closed.

"Lapis!" I cry, rushing over to her. A thin trail of blood drools from her mouth. I gingerly pick up her head and wipe it away. Her hair is soft, and she smells like a warm summertime ocean breeze. I start furiously blushing. I should be helping her, not admiring her.

"Hey, runt, I'm not done with you yet." Jasper says.

I quickly whip my head around just in time to see her fist hit me full on in the left eye. I cry out in pain, and Jasper laughs.

I hear footsteps coming down the hallway. Jasper smirks, and stands in a fighting position, but she doesn't move. It's an obvious trap. She's baiting me into a fight.

I look back at Lapis' unmoving body, and rage surges through me. I've never been much of a fighter, but today I'll try for her. Who cares if it's a trap? Some people are worth getting hurt for.

I run up to Jasper and kick her in the gut right as a teacher rounds the corner.

"No fighting in the corridors! Break it up!" I hear a voice yell from behind me.

I turn around, and see a teacher dressed in yellow walking towards us.

Jasper smirks, and whispers "You're in for it now, punk."

o0O0o

Minutes later, I sit in the principal's office. Jasper had been excused from this happy meeting.

"Fighting! On your first day at school! I'm very disappointed in you, Peridot!" The yellow robed teacher yells at me.

I cower at her words.

"I think we'll change your schedule. From now on, your homeroom will be room 008. Report there immediately." The teacher says.

"Yes Ms…" I trail off, not knowing her name.

"Ms. Diamond." She says.

I bow my head and run out of the room.

o0O0o

Room 008 was in the basement. It was supposed to be a storage room, but apparently they needed the space for another classroom. I walked down the stairs, a glum feeling in my stomach. This had been a horrible first day. And I still didn't have a uniform on. I found Room 008. I put my hand on the cold, metal doorknob, and took a deep breath. I opened the door, and the scene inside was pure chaos.

I saw a couple passionately kissing in the back of the room. In the front row, two girls were loudly arguing, making large gestures with their hands as they spoke. There was only one boy in the classroom, and he was choking on a "Cookie Cat" ice cream bar while a girl trying to save him was pounding him on the back. The only one alone was a girl laughing her head off at the choking boy. But I recognized her just as she turned around. How could I forget those ice blue eyes?

"Hey, it's the Greenie!" she called. It was Lapis.


	2. Class of Our Own

**A/N: I wanted to make an AU where Peridot wasn't a techno nerd because that is literally so overdone at this point.**

Peridot:

"Hey! It's the Greenie!" Lapis calls, smirking, "Did you get transferred to this class?"

I silently nod my head. She motions for me to sit at the desk next to her. As I do, I can faintly smell her perfume again. I blush, hoping she doesn't notice.

"This class is for 'problem children'. Here, let me introduce you. Those two over there-" she pauses, motioning to the couple kissing. "Are Ruby – the red haired one - and Sapphire – the other one, the blue haired one. Ruby gets into fights a lot. Horrible temper. Please don't tell her I said that," she says with a faint trace of a smile on her lips.

I smile. Lapis was so cute when she talked. She got so excited, like she was happy that anyone cared enough to listen.

"Sapphire is just the opposite. But usually her responses lack emotion, so it sounds like she's talking back. Teachers don't exactly like that. Then Ruby gets mad at the teachers because she thinks that they're being unfair to Sapphire – anyways, they're the perfect couple." she continues.

Do I detect jealousy in her voice? It only takes one look at the new bandage on her head for me to realize the answer. I felt bad. A cute girl like her could have had anyone if only Jasper wasn't around.

Wait, did I just call her cute? How could I fall in love with a girl I just met? I started to blush, and she gave a sad smile as if reading my thoughts. I quickly looked away from her face, and she continued.

"Those two over there are Amethyst and Pearl. Amethyst is really cool and laid back, while Pearl loves order. They fight a lot. One time, the teachers caught them, and so now they're here. Half this class ships them, and half doesn't." Lapis says.

I snicker. "Do you ship them?" I ask.

"Eh. It's kind of fifty-fifty. Oh, yeah, and those dudes over there-" she gestures to the boy who was now massaging his throat – he had been choking a few moments earlier – and the girl, who was throwing away the food he had coughed up. "Yeah, they're really nice. Their names are Steven and Connie. They're here for the same reason as you; Jasper coaxed them into a fight." Lapis says, scorn in her voice.

"Why isn't Jasper here?" I ask.

She turns away. It must be a tough subject. "The teachers turn a blind eye to her. She's the teacher's favorite." Lapis replies.

I hastily try to change the subject. "So what about you?" I ask.

She grins. "I'm Lapis Lazuli. You can call me Lapis, though. I tend to "act up," as the teachers call it. My specialty is water. I break the plumbing, hit people with water guns, set water balloon traps, whatever. I do other stuff too, but doing stuff with water is way more fun." She replies.

I look around. "So where's the teacher?" I ask.

She grins again. I liked it when she did that. It made her beautiful in a mischievous way, and only made me want to know her more.

"She left to use the bathroom about… maybe a half hour ago. That's probably difficult at the moment though, since I just broke the plumbing in the entire building."

I laugh, and she smiles. She notices me staring at her, and she looks away blushing.

oO0Oo

"Yeah, so what's up with you and the color green?" Lapis asks.

I blush. "I mean… I just really like green." I say.

She laughs. "I've noticed. It's cool, though. It's the same way with me and the color blue. But I hide it a bit more." She says.

Suddenly, a teacher walks in, soaking wet. Lapis breaks out into laughter, and I can't help but smile. The teacher, however, is not smiling. The teacher looks at Lapis, rolls her eyes, and sighs. She sits down at the tiny wooden desk in the front of the room.

"Anything wrong, professor?" Lapis asks, an innocent smile on her face. I snicker. Lapis was most definitely not innocent, but if I didn't know her, she could've fooled me. The teacher ignores her and looks at me.

"Oh, great. A new student. Maybe this one won't blow up the plumbing every other week." She says, casting a look at Lapis, who's still staring back.

The teacher then looks around the room and sees that no one is listening. "Well, welcome, at any rate. My name is Ms. Diamond."

I raise my hand. "Oh, you're a polite one. Don't bother raising your hand in this classroom. All manners go out the door in here." Ms. Diamond replies dryly.

"Er… Isn't there another Ms. Diamond in the school?" I ask.

She sighs. "Don't you even know the history of this school? This school was founded by my three sisters and I. My first name is Pink, and my sisters are Yellow, Blue, and White. I left the school for a bit, but I came back when I was told that I needed to help teach a… special class." She says, narrowing her eyes at the others in the room, particularly Amethyst and Pearl, the former of which was now throwing wadded up pieces of paper – assumedly homework – at the latter.

The bell suddenly rings, and Pink throws her hands up into the air. "I swear I don't even teach you kids half of the time. Just go to lunch."

oO0Oo

I'm walking in the hallways, when Lapis comes besides me. "Hey. Um, you probably shouldn't go to the cafeteria for lunch today. You know, because of Jasper." She says, looking away.

I look away. "Oh, right. But I don't know where to go." I say shyly.

Lapis softly punches me on the shoulder. "Yeah, and that's why you have me. C'mon, I'll take you to the dorms. We're in the Pink dorms." Lapis says.

"Pink… is everything around here color coded? And why is none of it green?" I jokingly ask. I know it's a lame joke, but I want to cheer Lapis up.

She smiles. "Yeah, you'd love that. I bet you'd go crazy with school spirit if it was green. This school is divided under four authorities; normal kids are randomly sorted in to either white, blue, or yellow houses. The kids in our class are the only ones in pink." Lapis says.

We climb a flight of stairs. "In pink dorms, each room holds two people. There used to be seven of us, and I bunked alone. So now that you're here, we'll be roommates. I'm glad I get someone cute." Lapis says.

"Cute?" I question.

She blushes and doesn't answer.

oO0Oo

We reach a pink door, and Lapis opens it. Inside, I find a small common room painted light pink. It has two couches, three tables, and a couple armchairs. All of the furniture is pink. There are two hallways, and Lapis takes me down the one on the right. We then take a left at the next room.

"Woah…" I say, dumbfounded at the sight of the room.

It's about ten feet by ten feet, and there's just one bunk bed. The bed at the bottom has blue blankets and pillows. There is one bureau what has messy drawers, but the other looks untouched.

Lapis rubs the back of her neck. "Sorry, it's a bit messy and small, but it's what I call home…" she says.

"It's the first home I've ever had… It's beautiful…" I murmur.

She looks at me, a happy look in her eyes. I can tell she wants to say something, but she doesn't.

Suddenly, the boy Lapis called Steven rushes in to our dorm room, panting. "Lapis… hide… Jasper is looking for you. And she's angry…"


	3. Damage Control

**So apparently I forgot to include this chapter in the original… I'm such an idiot ugh. (Since when did these author's notes get so relatable?)**

Peridot:

"Lapis, you have to hide! Jasper is coming!" Steven whispers.

Lapis gasps, and looks at me. "You have to get out of here!" she tells me.

"What about you?" I ask. How could she think of me, someone she barely knows, at a time like this?

She shakes her head. "It'll be worse if she finds you."

I seriously doubted that, but I kept quiet for sake of argument.

Her eyes scan the room. "Here, quick! I have an idea!" she gasps.

oO0Oo

Lapis:

I stand with my back to the bed. The door slams open. Jasper stands grinning in the doorway.

"Hey Lapis. You trying to avoid me? I thought that you couldn't get enough of me." Jasper arrogantly claims.

I take a step backwards. "Like I'd ever have feelings for you. All you do is hurt people. I want none of that. Why can't you just leave me alone?" I say, trying to act brave. Maybe if I acted well enough, she wouldn't see my fear.

She takes a step forwards, and I take another step back. I feel my head press against the wooden railing of the bunk bed. I'm trapped. Jasper stares at me for a moment, sizing me up, and then-

"Aughhh!" I cry. She'd slapped me across my face. I put my hand up to my cheek, and I feel blood. She must've used her fingernails again.

She glowers at me. Suddenly, the bell rings, and the tension breaks.

"You'll learn one day." Jasper says, walking out of the room. I sigh in relief.

oO0Oo

Peridot:

I'd heard Lapis cry out in pain. What had happened? Just before Jasper had entered, Lapis had hidden Steven and me underneath the bed, draping her blanket over the side to hide us from view.

"It's okay, you can come out now." Lapis whispers.

I move the blanket, and I see her standing by the door.

"Lapis, you're…" I say, trailing off at the end.

She self-consciously puts her hand to her bloody cheek. "It's nothing. Let's just get out of here." Lapis murmurs.

I exchange a glance with Steven, who was crawling out from our hiding spot. We walk out of the room.

We headed back to our classroom, and it was pretty much a normal day after that. I'd gone to my room for dinner, and Lapis had gone to the cafeteria. It was about 7:00 when she came up to the room.

"Hey." I said, sitting on the floor, eating my sorry dinner of ramen noodles and a juice box.

"Hey." She wearily replied, sitting across from me.

"So, do you want to talk about earlier?" I asked her.

She sighed. "It's fine. It happens all of the time." She replies, rubbing her shoulder.

"It's not fine! You're hurt! I've seen Jasper throw you across the room and slap your face all in one day! That is most definitely not okay!" I exclaim.

She silently looks down at the floor. "I'm saying that it's fine because at least you didn't get hurt."

"You matter too. I haven't even known you a day, but I don't want to see you injured," I say.

She merely shrugs.

I sigh. "Do you at least want me to look at your face? I'm pretty good with stuff like that. I used to get beat up all the time at home, so I learned how to treat myself." I say.

"Are you going to give me a choice?" she asks.

"Of course I am. I just think you'd rather be helped," I reply.

She doesn't answer, but it says everything.

I brush her hair away from her left cheek. There are four distinct lines going down her face, about two inches long. I wince, and she blushes. I clear my throat.

"Looks like it broke the skin, but at least she didn't hit your eye. It'll be okay in a few days. I have some Neosporin to make it hurt less." I say.

She nods shyly, and I grab the ointment from my bag. I squeeze some onto my index finger, and I press it onto her wound. She winces, and reflexively grabs my wrist. We look each other in the eyes and then glance away.

"Yup. There… it is all done… Yes." I say awkwardly.

She snickers, and says "Wow, yes 'it is all done'. That's the most descriptive sentence I've ever heard. You should write a book."

I laugh. Maybe I could have friends here.

oO0Oo

It's about 10:00 when we finally decide to sleep.

"Hey, so today's Friday, so we can sleep in tomorrow. Sorry that the top bunk is broken. We can fix that later." Lapis says, sitting on her bed.

"It's cool. I'll just sleep on the floor." I say, leaning backwards onto the hard wooden floor. I close my eyes.

"Yeah, that really looks super comfy. At least take this." Lapis says.

I look up, and a pillow hits me in the face. I see Lapis balling up a blanket, and I hold up my pillow to block it. It still hits me in the face. We both break into laughter, and I cover myself in the blanket.

"It's okay, but it's all blue." I say, a smirk on my face.

Lapis laughs. "So would you prefer green next time?" she asks with a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah… We're going to have to do some serious redecoration. I'm thinking green paint, green carpeting, and a green flower vase. Maybe we can put a blue flower in it. Maybe." I say, grinning.

Another pillow hits me in the face. We both laugh again, and Lapis turns out the lights. After a moment of silence, I hear her say, "I'm actually going to need that pillow back, though."

oO0Oo

"No, ow – please" I heard a voice murmur.

I woke up with a jolt. I looked around. It was still dark, and my watch read three a.m. I looked over at Lapis. She was tossing and turning in her sleep. I sat up, and shook her shoulder.

"No – augh!" Lapis yelled, waking up. She sits up with a jolt, and her head slams into the top of the bed above her.

"Ow… What… Who… Peridot?" Lapis mutters.

"Sorry, it's just – you were having a dream – I thought –" I stutter. She sits up, and turns on the light.

"No, it's fine. I always have nightmares. Thanks for waking me up." She says, rubbing her eyes. She hops off the bed, and walks towards the doorway. "What time is it?" she groggily asks.

I glance at my watch again.

"It's 3:09 am." I respond.

She stops walking and turns around.

"Oh. Sorry for waking you up so early."

"It's fine if you want to stay up, though. I don't mind." I reply.

She sits down next to me, her back resting on the side of the bed.

"Were you thinking about Jasper?" I ask.

She flinches, and I hastily respond "It's fine, you don't have to tell me, I-"

I'm cut off by Lapis. "No, you're right, it was Jasper." She says, sighing. "I mean… it's better, having a roommate here with me. I've always dormed alone, and always been a third wheel to everyone – except Jasper, who's the person I'd most rather not be close to. Maybe now things can be better, you know? Now that you're here." Lapis says, resting her head on my shoulder.

I tense up at the contact, and she lifts her head away.

"Oh – sorry – I mean-" Lapis starts, but I interrupt.

"No, it's fine. Go for it." I say, and she rests her head back down again.

We sit in silence, and I begin to drift off to sleep.

oO0Oo

I wake up again, and my back is sore from sitting against the bed all night. I look down, and I see-

"Ahhh…ohhhhh…" I whisper, startled.

Lapis was laying down on my lap. She must've fallen off my shoulder during the night. I sit still, trying not to wake her. After what seems like forever, she blinks her eyes open.

"Morning…" she groggily says, blinking her eyes open. She then looks up, and blushes.

"Oh! – I'm sorry – I just – sorry! You should've moved me." She says, sitting up quickly, rubbing the back of her neck.

"I thought you needed the rest, and I didn't want to wake you up. It's fine, it didn't bother me. It was…"

I say, trailing off at the end.

"It was what?" She asks, not meeting my eyes.

"Kind of… nice…" I say, blushing.

I look at her, and I notice that she's blushing, too.


	4. Boardwalk

**Just pumping chapters out. Mid chapter I realized that I hadn't really described the charatcers yet.**

Peridot: "So… What do you do on weekends?" I ask. "I normally just hide from Jasper. But for you, I don't think you can hide forever." Lapis replies. "Can we go anywhere?" I ask. She smiles. "Well, we're not supposed to leave the campus-" "So let's leave it at that, Lapis." "But let's do it anyways." "Do I have a choice?" "Nope. Let's go, Greenie!" She runs out of the door, and I follow, struggling to keep up.

She finally stops, and I'm panting. "Hey, does this place look familiar to you?" Lapis asks, a grin on her face. I look around. "Hey, it's the bathroom where I met you. Wait a minute…" I say, starting to understand why we were here. She widens her grin. She holds up a wrench, and I sigh. "I don't even know what I expected. Just do your little water thing. 'Wat'-ever." I say. She snickers, and punches me in the shoulder. "Was that a water pun?" She asks. "I don't know 'wat' you're talking about." I respond. Lapis stares at me, and says "You need to stop." I take a deep breath in, and I'm about to tell another pun, when she looks me dead in the eyes, and walks in to the bathroom. Guess she's not a big fan of comedy.

Suddenly, I hear a metallic crack coming from the bathroom. I see Lapis being blasted backwards into the wall by a jet of water. She quickly gets up, runs past me, and yells "We need to get out of here! C'mon, Greenie!" I sprint after her.

We run up one more flight of stairs, and in to a classroom. Lapis opens a window, and signals to me. "C'mon, it's safe!" she yells. She jumps out of the window. "Lapis!" I cry, running up to the window. We're on the second floor! I look down. Lapis is maybe two feet below me, hanging onto a tree branch. She swings off, and lands gracefully on the ground. I step on to the tree branch, and it sways beneath me. "Lapis?" I say apprehensively. "It's fine. Just jump!" she says. I crouch on the tree branch, looking down at the ground. I feel a small wind on my back. I panic, and slip. I close my eyes and start to yell, bracing for impact. I feel a small thump. I open my eyes. Lapis caught me. We both breathe out in relief. I look around. We appear to be at the back of the school. I look at Lapis, and see that she's staring at me. When she notices that I've seen her, she drops me. "Sorry! I was just –" she says, not finishing. I stand up, and brush myself off. "I thought you said that we were going somewhere. Let's go!" I say. She laughs. "Wow, someone's had a change of heart."

We've been walking through a forest for a half hour. "Are we almost there?" I ask. She smiles. "You tell me." We walk up a small hill, and find a town. "I'm going to go with yes, we are almost here." I say.

"Hey, let's go to the beach!" Lapis says. I look at what I'm wearing; a green hoodie, a green tee shirt, and dark green shorts. Same thing as yesterday. "Uh… Lapis? Pretty sure we can't go swimming like this." Lapis grins. "I'm already soaking wet, and our clothes can dry on the way home. Besides, it'll be fun!" She says, pulling me by the hand.

While we're running, I get a good look at Lapis for the first time. She has on a blue tank top with white jean shorts, and light blue skater shoes. We finally reach the sand, though we're out of breath and sweaty. Lapis kicks off her shoes, and I do the same. I leave my hoodie on the beach, too. Lapis runs up to the edge of the waves, and then dives in. I slowly walk up to the water, and I wade into the crystal clear water. I'm looking around for Lapis, when suddenly, I'm pulled underwater. I force my eyes open, and I see Lapis grinning at me from underneath the waves. I'm running out of breath, so I surface.

After about an hour of splashing around, We sit on the beach, watching the sunset. It's getting late, and it's too cold to swim. It's early November, and so the water is freezing. I look over at Lapis, and see that she's shivering. I reach over and grab my hoodie, and I hand it to her. She looks up at me. "Thanks." She says, putting it on. Kind of cute. I blush, and look away. Lapis follows my gaze. "Wanna head over to the boardwalk?" she asks. "Sure." I reply.

Flashy stores line the boardwalk, and they all have display windows. I look besides me, and Lapis is missing. I frantically look around, and I find her staring at one of the storefronts. I walk over to her, and follow her gaze. She's looking at a beautiful silver necklace with a small, blue, teardrop-shaped stone charm. I sigh. "How much is it?" I ask. She looks at me. "Doesn't matter. Do you have any money on you?" she asks. I shake my head. "Yeah, I didn't think so. But let's get it anyways." Lapis says, pulling me inside the store.

Lapis looks around the store. I know what she's looking for. "Really, Lapis? Two in one day?" I say. She grins at me. "You know what I'm going to do?" she asks. "You're going to explode the plumbing, and then swipe the necklaces in the distraction." I say. She laughs. "Yeah, true. Are you going to stop me?" she asks. I shake my head, and she smiles. She walks towards the small bathroom. It only takes half a minute for me to hear the sound of gushing water. Lapis runs out of the bathroom, looking distressed. She runs over to the cashier, and mutters a few words to him. His eyes widen, and he sprints over to the cashier. Lapis grins, and slides her hand over a display rack that holds necklaces. She nods at me, and we exit.

Once we're safely down the boardwalk, I ask her "Did you get it?" She grins, and holds up two necklaces. One was the silver and blue one from before, but the other one is gold instead of silver, and has a lime green triangle instead of a blue teardrop. "Yeah, I saw this and thought of you." She says, handing me the gold necklace. I blush, and put the necklace on. She gives me a smile, and I return it. "We should probably go back to school, though. It's getting late. What time is it?" Lapis asks. I glance at my watch. "It's 8:41." I reply. Her eyes widen. "We have to be back before nine o'clock! Hurry, let's run!"

It took us a half hour to get to the town, and it took us eighteen minutes to get back. We had been sprinting nonstop. "Hurry! I see the school gate!" Lapis says. We run through the gate, and into the main doors of the school. Lapis breathes out. "That was close. At 9:00, they close the gates, and we'd be trapped outside. Then we'd be in big trouble if they noticed that we were off of school grounds." Lapis says. We slowly walk up to our room. Lapis collapses on the bed. "Dude…" she says. I smile. "Yeah." I replied. I laid down on the floor. Lapis turned off the light. We lay there in silence for a moment. I feel Lapis' hand touch my own. "Do you mind? It's just… comforting." She says. "It's okay." I say, squeezing her hand. We drift off into sleep.


	5. Awakening

**Yup. Adding more romance every chapter. It's progressive. (Not the insurance company progressive, though. No discounts on love here.)**

Peridot: I wake up on the cold, hard floor. My hand is still holding on to Lapis'. I smile. My muscles ache. I don't care. It was worth it. My free hand goes to my chest. I feel the triangle pendant from the necklace Lapis gave me resting on my chest. My hair is still messy from swimming yesterday. I loved every second of it. I just lay here, with Lapis' hand entwined with mine. Enjoying every moment.

oO0Oo

Her hand is jerked away from mine. I hear a yawn, and watch as she sits up.

"Morning." I say. She looks down at me from her bed and smiles. "Hey Peridot. Did you stay in bed because of me again?" she asks.

I smile. "It's okay, I didn't mind. I enjoyed it." I replied.

She blushes a little. I look away and blush, too.

"I mean – it's fine – you're really cool – it's nice-" I stutter, trying to make it less awkward. It doesn't work.

She blushes even more.

"I get it. It's just nice to be with someone, you know? Especially you – I mean -" she says, not able to finish.

I rub the back of my neck and smile. I start to get up, and she offers me a hand. But she's not strong enough, and she's pulled down on the floor next to me. We sit there for a moment, and just laugh. I stare at her face. She's beautiful. She catches me staring, and I look away, blushing. But before I glance away, I think I catch a small smile on her face.

We both stand up. She looks down at her shirt.

"Hey, do you want your hoodie back?" she asks. I shrug. "You can keep it. I have too many green hoodies anyways. Besides, you look… good… in it…" I say, blushing.

She smiles too. "No one's ever told me that I'm pretty before." She says quietly.

I look her in the eyes. "You're more than pretty, you're beautiful. Don't you ever forget that." I say.

She blushes again. I rub the back of my neck, and walk out of the room. Where was I going?

oO0Oo

Lapis:

I change out of my shorts and into black leggings and my light blue skate shoes. I keep my hoodie on, reluctant to take it off. Another thing I can't take off is the huge smile still plastered on my face. _She called me pretty!_ I internally scream. I put my hair into a short pony tail, and I put my necklace overtop of the hoodie. I walk out of my room, and into the pink common room. I find Peridot sitting in an armchair. When she sees me, she blushes.

"Hey." I say.

She stares at me, and replies "Hey."

I hear a third voice. "Hey."

I turn around to find Amethyst standing in the hallway behind me.

"Amethyst… What's up?" I say, blushing.

She looks at me, grinning. "Hey, can I talk to you over here?" she says.

I nod, and we walk back into the hallway.

oO0Oo

"So, what's up with you and the green kid?" Amethyst asks me.

"It's… nothing. It's fine. We're just friends." I say. How could I say that? We're clearly more than friends. I don't want to be just friends.

Amethyst looks at me. "Right. And so you're telling me that's not her sweatshirt?" she asks.

I blush, and look down. "Whatever." I say, walking out of the hallway.

I find Peridot still sitting in the armchair. I remember Amethyst's words, and I look away. I love her. Why did this have to be so complicated?

"Uh…" I start. I just can't find the right words to talk to her today.

She looks down and blushes. "I hope I didn't make things awkward by saying what I did in there. I just -"

I cut her off. "Did… did you mean it?" I ask weakly.

Her face resisters a look of surprise. "Of course. Have you ever looked in a mirror? The first time I saw you, the only thing I could think about was how pretty you were."

I blush even more. "That was only two days ago," I murmur.

She rubs her arm nervously. "Yeah. Seems like it's been longer, right?"

I give her a small grin. "I know. You've made my life so interesting. I can barely remember what it was like before I had you, even though it was just a few days ago."

She shuffles her feet. "Do you really like having me as a friend?"

I laugh loudly. "I wish you were more than a friend, but it'll do for now."

I freeze, realizing what I just said. She catches on too, and stays silent. But I almost think I can catch a small smile. Almost.

"I mean, like, uh, best friends. Platonically and stuff," I quickly say.

But before Peridot can say anything, Amethyst calls from the doorway, "Just kiss already!"

After that, another voice. "Amethyst, be quiet and stop interfering in their relationship!" It was Pearl. And so softly I knew that it wasn't meant for me to hear, "It was just getting good."

I blush and rub the back of my neck. What a great morning this was turning out to be.


	6. Wash Out

**So I'm remaking this chapter. The last one was too dark. This one will be more love and character revelation and will be better worded.**

Lapis: What was it about Peridot that made me feel this way? I glanced at her. She was sitting on a pink armchair in the common room.

"So, what's up for today?" she asks.

"I mean, usually I just do nothing all day. You wanna just go get breakfast downstairs?" I ask, trying to sound as though I didn't care.

I did, though. I cared about her more than I'd like to admit.

"Sure." She said, shrugging.

We walked down to the cafeteria side by side. Most people had already been to breakfast, and so they were walking in the opposite direction as us. I felt like someone was watching us. I looked around, and I saw a teacher glaring at me. Whatever. Teachers hate me. However, this one stopped in front of us.

"There you are, Ms. Lazuli. We're putting you in detention today."

I looked innocently at her. "Why?" I said.

The teacher growled. "For blowing up the plumbing yesterday. And Friday. And last week." She said.

I grinned. "Oh, that? Why can't we just put this all behind us?" I say, turning around.

The teacher grabs me by the arm. "Not today, Ms. Lazuli. Let's go. Six hours. Starting now," She said, dragging me off.

oO0Oo

Peridot:

I'd never realized how much I relied on Lapis. Now that she was gone, I didn't know what I would do.

But the answer was simple, wasn't it? I'd just get detention to be with Lapis.

Wait, what? Was I really going to do something so drastic just to hang out with someone for a few hours?

An image of Lapis' face pops up in my head, and I realize that the answer is yes.

oO0Oo

Lapis:

I sit at a desk in detention, pretending to care about what the teacher lecturing me is saying.

"…why they let you attend this school still, I don't know. I mean, blowing up the plumbing? Really? And I…"

Honestly though, all I can think of is Peridot's face. How her celery green eyes light up when she laughs, her lopsided smile. And that moment when she fell into my arms… it was like magic.

I stop myself there. I couldn't have those sorts of feelings toward her. Not with Jasper around. But I knew that Peridot made her feel brave, kind, and smart.

Almost as if my thoughts had summoned her, Peridot walked in to the detention hall and handed the teacher a pass.

"I'm here for detention, ma'am," she mumbles.

The teacher snatches the pass out of her hand. "Have a seat. You're here for the next five hours, kid. That's what you get when you break the rules," she says with an air of superiority.

Peridot takes a seat next to me. "Funny seeing you here," she whispers.

"Yeah, what a coincidence," I quietly reply.

"I know. It's almost like I purposefully got detention or something," she whispers back.

"What'd you even do to get in here?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

She blushes, but still manages to look proud. "I, uh, tried to think of something bad to do that wouldn't hurt anyone, so I… kind of threw a chair out the window."

I break out in laughter.

"Stop that at once! This is a detention hall, not the cafeteria! You can joke around after you do your time in here!" the teacher yells.

Just then, the classroom phone rings. The teacher walks over to pick it up. Suddenly, she walks out the door.

"I have some business to attend to. I'll be back in two minutes. If either of you misbehaves, it'll be another weeks' worth of detention."

Once the teacher is gone, I whisper, "Really? You actually did that?"

She nods, and I see a ghost of a smile playing on her lips. "I took one from our dorm, opened a window, and sent it down three stories into the mud. The reaction on the teachers' faces was hilarious."

I grin. "So, what do you want to do for the next five hours, then?"

Before she can reply, the teacher walks back in with one of the janitors. They're both supporting one large, pink, dirt-covered armchair.

The teacher sets it down triumphantly. "See, now? You broke the rules, and now your punishment is to clean up the damage you caused. If this chair isn't sparkling clean by the end of your time here, it'll be even more detention. We've brought you some cleaning supplies. Have fun," she says, walking out of the door. I hear the distinct click of the door locking behind her.

Peridot and I exchange glances. This would be more fun than the teacher thought.

oO0Oo

I grab a sponge from the bucket of soapy water, and Peridot does the same.

"Do you have any idea how to clean a chair?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "Not a clue."

I sarcastically throw my sponge at the chair. It bounces off with a splat, and soap suds spray the area surrounding.

"Solid," I say, my face struggling to stay expressionless.

Peridot sniggers. "No wonder our room is so messy. It's like you're literally incapable of cleaning."

I pick up the sponge. "I'll show you incapable," I say with a smile, throwing the sponge at her.

It hits her softly in the chest, and she grins, dunks her sponge in the water, and throws it back. I catch it easily, but the spray still gets me. I forget that now she has mine too, and that one hits me in the face.

It goes back and forth like this for the next ten minutes, until we're both covered in suds.

"I've got you this time!" she calls, running towards me, sponge in hand.

But instead of throwing it, she slips on the soaked floor. Her eyes widen, and she looks for something to grab onto. I run forwards to try to catch her, but she falls on me instead.

"Well, you certainly did get me, just not in the way you expected," I say, blushing.

She looks down, realizing that the thing that broke her fall was most definitely not the chair, but was in fact me.

She scrambles backwards, her cheeks bright red. "Ah! Sorry! Are you okay?"

I laugh. "I'm fine, dude. But next time, try to fall into my arms, and not on my legs."

She stands up and brushes herself off. I attempt to do the same, but either I have no coordination, or my end of the floor is more slippery, because I can't manage to stand up. She notices this and offers me a hand. I take it, and she raises me gently off the floor.

But when she does, I end up too close to her. I can hear her heart pounding against my chest. I look up at her face, and find her pale green eyes only inches from my face. I never noticed before, but they were speckled with gold flecks. But then I realized that they were staring back into my own eyes, celery green against ice blue, and I take a step back, this time my turn to blush.

oO0Oo

After that, we both agree we're a bit tired, so we start to work on cleaning the chair. While we do that, we make small talk.

"So, do you have any hobbies?" I ask, "It's weird that we've held hands together but still don't really know much about each other."

She says without hesitation, "I like to write. Not essays so much, but stories and poems."

"I've never seen you write," I reply.

"I've been too busy hanging out with you. I haven't noticed you doing any hobbies, either. What are yours?" she asks.

I thinks about this for a moment, and then reply, "I like to skateboard. I guess I like to surf and caster board too, but skateboarding is my favorite."

She raises an eyebrow. "How long have you skated for?"

I continue washing the chair. "Maybe two or three years. Why?"

She looks down a little. "I've always wanted to learn, and I was wondering if you'd teach me," she murmurs.

I laugh. "Of course I'll teach you. Once we get out of here, I'll get you a board. Maybe if you're lucky, I'll get you a helmet, too. You know, one of those little kiddie ones that looks like an animal. How do you feel about pandas?"

She seems to relax a little. "Honestly I love pandas, and the sooner I get that helmet, the sooner I can become one."

I laugh, and it rings through the classroom free and clear.


	7. Conflict

**A/N: None this time. (I bet you're thinking something like "thank god she finally shut up")**

Peridot: It had been a pretty normal week so far. I'd actually learned things in class. Lapis and I were still pretty much the same; extremely awkward.

Today was Thursday, and I was walking down to class with Lapis. Well, I wasn't actually walking. Lapis had finally gotten down to teaching me how to actually skateboard. We rode together through the empty hallways. We were a bit late. An hour late, actually.

I sharply turned around the corner, and ran into something – or rather someone.

"Sorry!" I said, embarrassed. I looked down. My eyes widened. I'd hit Jasper.

oO0Oo

I grabbed my skateboard and backed away. Lapis skated around the bend, and looked down. She gasped in shock, slipped backwards off her skateboard, and hit her head. Her skateboard pitifully rolled down the hallway.

"Lapis!" I cried. I started to walk over to help her, when I felt a hand clamp down on my left arm.

"Not so fast, punk," Jasper said.

I panicked, grabbed my skateboard in my right hand, and smashed it into Jasper's face. She grunted, and fell backwards.

I gasped and took a few steps back, nervous. I ran over to Lapis. Her eyes weren't focused, and they were glazed over.

"Lapis?" I said. She tried to talk, but her words were slurred and made no sense.

"Ninety percent of stair accidents… happen on stairs…" she mumbled.

Suddenly, I felt a cold hand clamp down on my back. Jasper spun me around, and threw me into a wall.

oO0Oo

My head was pounding and everything was blurred. Spots danced along my vision, and I struggled to stay awake.

A hand grabbed my shirt, and lifted me upwards. A rush of adrenaline surged through my body. I blinked, and I could see clearly again. Jasper had a deep gash under her left eye, and blood was dripping down her face.

"You think you can beat me? A confident little punk like you needs to be taken down a notch." Jasper said, rearing her fist back for a punch.

I put my feet against the wall, and pushed off. The force knocked Jasper off balance, and we fell. I rolled over her and stood up, panting. She jumped up, and got into a fighting stance.

I gulped, and stood in the middle of the hallway, knees locked, arms at my side. I couldn't fight, and Jasper knew it.

She grinned, and lunged at me. Out of tricks, I shielded my face, bracing for the worst.

oO0Oo

Lapis: I couldn't think, I couldn't see. I could barely remember what had happened. Just flashes. Falling off my skateboard. Jasper. Peridot. A broken skateboard. Blood spattering on the ground. My blood. Cries of pain.

What had happened? I struggled to wake up. I slowly opened my eyes. Bright lights shone above me, and I squinted. Where was I?

oO0Oo

I tried to sit up, and I felt my blood rush to my head. I put my hand to my forehead, and I felt cloth. No, not cloth, but a… bandage? I looked at my surroundings. I was sitting on a small cot. A first aid kit was on the table next to me. I think I was in the infirmary. I stood up, and my legs wobbled. I glanced down, and saw that I looked thin… How long had I been out for?

I slowly walked over to the door. I heard voices coming from the other side.

"I'm sorry Ms. Jasper, but Lapis is still out cold. She got a pretty nasty concussion after what you did to her," I heard a woman say.

It must be the nurse. I backed away from the door, and fell backwards. Jasper was here, looking for me.

"I told you, she fell on her own. It wasn't me this time!" Jasper exclaimed.

I heard the nurse sigh in disbelief.

"Well, I'll be back later," Jasper says. I hear a door close.

"Of course you will," the nurse said.

I cracked the door open.

The nurse turns to face me. "You're awake. Good thing you didn't wake up a minute earlier, or Jasper would've caught you."

I lower my eyes.

The nurse gives a small smile. "I'm guessing that you were awake when Jasper was here, but you just didn't want her to see you. Well, I don't blame you, kid."

"Where's Peridot?" I ask, fearing the answer.

"You've got yourself quite the entourage of lovers, honey, but that girl got hurt pretty badly. I've managed to patch her up. She's still not awake, though. I'd give it a few days," The nurse replied.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I saw the security footage, and it wasn't pretty. Basically, after you fell, Peridot hit Jasper with a skateboard, and it snapped. One of the halves flew off and hit you in the arm," she says, pointing at a bandage on right arm that I hadn't noticed until now.

"Anyways, Peridot tried to lift your head up, but ended up dropping you – not her fault, Jasper pulled her away – but by then you'd taken two hits to the head by that point, and were drifting in and out of consciousness. Your friend knocked Jasper over once or twice, but no one beats Jasper. A teacher heard yelling and broke it up. Not pretty, though, I'll tell you," The nurse finished.

"Are we in trouble?" I ask.

"The security footage clearly shows that Jasper was the real attacker, so you and Peridot are fine. But Jasper never gets in trouble, so she's fine too."

I sigh in relief. "Can I see her? Peridot, I mean, not Jasper."

The nurse nods and gestures to the door next to mine.

oO0Oo

I slowly open the door and peek in. The room is dark, but I don't need the lights to see. I know the infirmary inside and out. Probably not a good thing, now that I look back on it.

I slowly walk over to her cot. When I see her, it's like a punch to the gut. One of her beautiful celery green eyes is blackened. Her ribs are heavily bandaged. Her hair, normally well-maintained, is oily and unkempt.

I choke out a sob and hug her, even though I know she won't remember it.

When it's time to leave, I plant a soft kiss on her forehead and walk out the doorway, using my hood to hide the tear stain on my face.

The walk back to my dorm is a long and somber one. I can't stop thinking about Peridot. Would she be okay? I open the door to the common room, and find the rest of my class sitting down and discussing something… sad. When they see me, they rush over to me.

"Lapis, are you okay?" Amethyst asks. I shrug.

"Where's Peridot?" Ruby asks.

I look away and rub my shoulder. No one can meet my eyes.

"What time is it? How long was I out for?" I ask, looking back up. "You were out for three days. We were all worried sick," Sapphire says.

I walk off to my room without another word. I don't want to be with anyone but Peridot, but she's the one person I can't talk to.


	8. Secrets and Lies

**Just so you know, fanfic's website isn't saying the right "last updated" date. This was last published on 5-13-17 (not in February) (unless it's more recent than that.) I'm planning on taking that last bit out of the chapter and saving it for much later but honestly it's 3am and I have stuff to do tomorrow so I'll leave it for now.**

Lapis: I'd been excused from classes from the rest of the week, so I sat on my bed, thinking. In my spare time, I'd fixed the upper bunk for when Peridot came back. It was now Wednesday afternoon, three days after I'd woken up, and I was still alone. I was wearing the green hoodie Peridot had given me. It still smelled like her. I'd pulled the hood over my head so that I didn't have to talk to anyone, because honestly, I was not in the mood to speak with anyone but Peridot.

Suddenly the door opened, and I turned away. I was done being told that "Everything would be okay," or that "Things will go back to normal soon." It wouldn't.

"I thought I'd get a better greeting than this." I whipped around. It was Peridot.

oO0Oo

I ran over to her, tears in my eyes. I hugged her, and this time she didn't tense up.

"I was so worried. Promise me you won't leave again," I whisper.

"I don't ever plan on it," Peridot replied.

We stayed like this for a minute or two, and I finally let go.

"What happened to you?" I asked, looking her up and down.

I missed seeing her every day. How had I lived without her?

"I mean – I'm not entirely sure myself. But once I couldn't think of any way to fight her, it got ugly. Jasper ran up to me, and kicked me in the ribs. I hit a wall, and after that, I don't know," Peridot said, looking down.

I parted her hair, and saw a bruise on her forehead. I looked her in the eyes.

"Yeah, and that's not all. Broken ribs too." She said, lifting up her shirt to reveal a large bandage wrapped around her torso.

"Then didn't it hurt when I hugged you?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I didn't mind. It was worth it." Peridot replies.

I look away. "I'm sorry you got hurt because of me."

"It wasn't because of you."

"If you'd never met me, Jasper wouldn't hate you."

"Yeah, but then I never would have met you. That would be more painful."

oO0Oo

We sat on the bed together, enjoying each other's presence. I put my head on Peridot's lap, and we held hands. At first, when I'd taken her hand, she'd tensed up. Now, though, she seemed perfectly at ease.

"It's okay, you know. If you want to back out of this now so you don't get hurt again." I say, looking into her eyes. They're light green with flecks of gold.

She squeezes my hand. "You must've hit your head harder than I thought, Lapis. I would never give this up, no matter what." She says, smiling.

"What am I to you, Peridot?" I ask softly.

She smiles. "Whatever you want me to be."

"I want you to be happy," I reply, smiling.

She lightly laughs. "I always happy when I'm with you."

"I feel the same way. I… I really like you," I say.

"I really like you, too. You're pretty great. And pretty. And smart. And-" she lists.

I stop her by lightly punching her in the shoulder. "Don't make a list. You need rest."

She snorts. "Yeah, after six days of being unconscious, I need even more rest."

"Oh yeah, about that. Don't try anything like that again." I say, only half joking.

"Don't try to what? I saved you, Lapis. Six days is a small price to pay," she says, leaning on my shoulder playfully.

"The fact that you're still alive only makes you think it was right," I say, rolling my eyes.

"And look where it got me! I get to stay with you tonight, tomorrow, and for the rest of my life! Isn't it exciting?"

I can't help but smile. "Yeah, it is."

She grins back and stares into my eyes, but doesn't say anything.

Eventually, she lays her head on the pillow and brings me with her. The bed's too small for the both of us to lay side by side, so she puts her leg over mine and draws me closer. A week ago, I would've been paralyzed with fear, but after losing her for so long, I embraced it, embraced her. I wrapped my arms around her. Our faces were so close that our noses touched. I could feel her heartbeat against mine, and was relieved to hear that they were both pretty fast.

"Does this make you nervous, Lazuli?" she asks quietly.

"Yes," I softly reply.

"Okay, good. I thought it was just me," she murmurs.

"I'd ask to take it slower, but I don't think there's enough space for that. And I don't want to leave you," I mumble.

"It's okay. Let's just enjoy it. You know I love being with you." She says quietly.

"You should know that I love you, too," I mumble, but she's already asleep.

oO0Oo

I needed this sleep. I wasn't injured or stressed about Peridot. But now, dreams and nightmares float in and out of my head; that is until I hear -

"Hey, Peridot. Come here for a second. Let her sleep, though. Let's talk alone," Amethyst tells Peridot, waking me up in the process.

I keep my eyes closed, trying to hide my consciousness. What did they have to talk about? I feel Peridot's hand go from under my face, and she gently takes my head off her lap, placing it on the warm sheets. I can feel her raise the covers over my shoulder.

I wait until I hear their footsteps in the hallway, and I quietly sneak after them. My head hurts a bit, but it doesn't matter. I still can't think straight, though. I should be resting. Whatever. I had to know what Amethyst had to say to Peridot.

The two of them walk into Amethyst's room, and Amethyst sits down on the bed. Peridot merely leans on the wall, finding no place to sit.

"Listen Peridot, I know that you guys like each other, but don't you think that you're rushing into things with Lapis a bit?" Amethyst asks Peridot.

That's what this was about?

"I mean, you guys barely know each other," Amethyst finishes.

"I mean - I want to make her happy; I care for her a lot already. She's amazing. I'll go at whatever pace she wants to go; I want her to be comfortable," Peridot says, rubbing her shoulder.

I blush. She thinks that I'm amazing?

"I get that you're a good person, but… I mean she wouldn't have gotten hurt if it weren't for you. She's my friend, and I don't want to see her injured every other week. This is so rushed, and if you guys break up, then all of that pain will have been for nothing," Amethyst says, looking away.

"It's not my fault that Jasper is like this. I don't want her to get hurt, either. I deeply care about her," Peridot said.

"Yeah, you deeply care about her now, but you don't know anything about her past. She's done some stuff-" Amethyst says.

She's cut off by Peridot. "That's in the past. It won't matter. I'll still care about her, no matter what." Peridot says.

My heart flutters. She'd love me no matter what. But Amethyst – she shouldn't be hinting at this. Peridot wasn't ready – I didn't want her to know what I'd done, who I'd been. Not yet.

"Dude, you don't get it. She's done some bad things. She's been a horrible person at times. She's not the person you think she is. I mean, she's-" Amethyst says.

I'd heard enough, and I cut her off. "I'm what?" I say, stepping into Amethyst's room.

oO0Oo

Peridot: Amethyst gulps, and her eyes are widened, her mouth hanging open. What had Amethyst been about to say?

"Lapis, I – I had to warn her, she needs to know. You can't keep hiding this from her." Amethyst said.

"It's not up to you to tell her!" Lapis yells.

"It is when you aren't fit to explain." Amethyst yells, standing up. I back away from them, apprehensive.

"Peridot, please -" Lapis starts, looking at me with pleading eyes.

Amethyst yells over her. "You want to know things about your girl here, Peridot? For starters, she was a huge bully -"

"Amethyst, no!"

"She basically burned down her -"

"Please don't say anymore! Not like this! Let me explain!"

"Let's see, she used to be great friends with Jasper. And -"

"Please don't bring this conversation here!"

"Yeah, those two were a great team; Jasper would attack people with fists while Lapis would attack them with words. And once time, she even –"

Lapis was fuming. She cut Amethyst off by punching her hard in the face. Amethyst was knocked backwards, and she fell onto the floor.

"Yeah, look, she's doing it again. You can't shake old habits, can you Lapis? Come on, hit me again, you big bully," Amethyst says, a triumphant grin on her face.

Lapis takes a few steps back, tears welling in her eyes.

"You just proved my point! This is why you should tell Peridot what a horrible person you really are! You have to warn her before she gets too invested!" Amethyst says.

Lapis keeps walking backwards, and trips over her own feet. She quickly stands up and sprints off.

"Lapis, come back!" I yell.

Amethyst gives a harsh laugh. "Yeah, she won't come back, not even for you." Amethyst says.

I run off after Lapis, following the tear stains on the floor.


	9. The Return

**Author's note: Yup. Please comment about these stories it makes my day so much brighter** **help is appreciated.**

Peridot: I searched the hallways for hours, but couldn't find Lapis. I even glanced out the windows, but still didn't see her. I walked back to the dorm rooms, dejected. Pearl was standing next to Amethyst, an angry look on her face.

"Did you find her?" Pearl said, her voice quivering.

I shook my head.

Pearl glared at Amethyst. "Amethyst, you knew what would happen if you said those things – Peridot, how bad was she?" Pearl demanded.

I sighed. "She seemed pretty messed up about it. She was crying, she was at a loss for words, she was pleading with Amethyst. It hurt her a lot." I said, looking down.

"The last time she ran off and we couldn't find her – well, it ended up horribly." Pearl said glumly.

"Yeah, last time -" Amethyst starts. Pearl cuts her off.

"Oh, no you don't. You've done enough damage already. Let Lapis tell Peridot everything herself when she comes back – whenever that may be."

The two of them start to argue, and I walk to my room, dejected. I laid down in the bed. The sheets were cold. The bed was too empty without her, the room too quiet without her. I fell asleep, sorrow burdening my heart.

It had been a week, and Lapis still hadn't returned. I'd gone back to my classes, utterly alone. I was moody, and I wouldn't talk to anyone. My grades were slipping, and even the teachers were noticing my depression. In my spare time, I'd stare out of the windows in empty classrooms, watching, waiting for her.

Today, at around ten o'clock p.m., my hopes came true. I was staring out of a window on a second story classroom, when I suddenly saw police officers walking – Lapis! – up the front walk. She looked horrible. She had lost a lot of weight. Had she eaten? Probably very little. Whether by choice or from the lack of food, I didn't know. She had dark lines under her eyes that I could see from far away, and her clothes were dirt stained and wrinkled. I ran out of the classroom, and rushed down the stairs to meet her.

Lapis was standing in the main lobby with police officers and Mrs. Pink Diamond. I was around the corner, eavesdropping. I could only catch a couple phrases, but I still got the gist of the conversation.

"…Found her in the same place as last time…" "…Passed out from starvation…" "…Won't tell us why she ran off. Won't talk at all, actually…" "…Bad injury to the head…"

I heard footsteps coming around the corner. They must've finished talking. I quickly ducked into the nearest classroom, trying to avoid being seen. I saw Mrs. Diamond and Lapis walk by, and she was even worse than I'd thought. Small scratches littered her body, and her clothes which had fit perfectly before now hung loosely around her. Her hair was messy and unkempt, and I noticed the edge of a bruise on her forehead peeking out from under her bandage. I winced at the sight of her. Once they had passed, I ran towards the other stairwell, trying to beat her to the dorms.

I sprinted into the dorm room, and found it empty. I sat down in a chair, posing as if I'd been there for a while. Just as I'd sat down, the door opened, and I saw Mrs. Diamond and Lapis walk in.

"Lapis!" I cried, standing up. Lapis looked away.

"Well, I see that you're in good hands, Ms. Lazuli. Have a good night's sleep. And don't run off again." Mrs. Diamond said, walking back out of the dorm.

As soon as she left, I hugged Lapis as hard as I could. I felt a sharp pain in my ribs, but I didn't care.

"I thought we'd agreed not to leave each other anymore." I said, smiling.

"I'm sorry." She said. A tear fell onto my shoulder.

"At least you're back. I missed you so much." I murmured.

I let go, and the pain in my ribs subsided. I didn't care that it hurt, all I cared about was being with her. We walked into our room, and Lapis looked around, unsure.

"You have the bed tonight. You need it." I said, pointing to the bed.

"What about you?" she asked quietly.

"I'll be wherever you want me to be." I said, trying to sound reassuring.

She nodded. "Could I have the bed to myself tonight? I just… need to rest." She says, not meeting my gaze.

"Sure." I say, trying not to sound cold.

I hadn't seen her in a week, and all I wanted to do was be with her. But I had to think of her, too. I laid down on the cold, wooden floor. I closed my eyes, but sleep didn't come.

I checked my watch. It had been an hour, but I still hadn't been able to sleep. I sighed.

"You're still awake too?" I heard Lapis say.

"Yeah." I responded.

We were silent for a moment.

"You aren't going to ask about anything that's happened?" she questions.

I pause for a moment, and then reply, "You seemed tired. I mean, yeah, we definitely need to talk. I want to know where you've been and why you're so injured and thin. But about the other stuff… I'll leave that up to you."

I hear Lapis roll over. "I mean, Amethyst is right. I'm a horrible person. But… I think that we need to clear the air." Lapis says sullenly.

"You're not a horrible person."

"You don't know that."

"I haven't seen you act like a horrible person since I met you."

"I punched Amethyst."

"You had a good reason."

"I left you. You must've been so worried."

"You came back; it's okay."

"Not by choice."

"At least you're choosing to stay now."

"Does it matter?"

"To me it does."

"Why do you even still care about me?"

"Because you're a wonderful person."

"No, I'm not. Go ahead, tell me that I'm wrong."

"You're wrong. You're beautiful, kind, funny, smart, cool, and caring. Even if you did mess up in the past, you're trying to be better in the present. And that's what matters."

I wait for her respond, but all I can hear are muffled sobs.

"Lapis? Are you okay?" I ask, sitting up to check on her.

"You… really think I'm all that?" she says.

"Of course." I respond without hesitation.

She takes a deep breath. "You're amazing, too. Just – I can't tell you things right now. Maybe later."

Lapis had been excused from school until next week, and so I'd been alone in my classes again. At least I could see her at night. On Monday, we were walking down towards homeroom. Lapis suddenly made a turn.

"Lapis?" I asked, unsure.

"Remember, it's Monday. We have our specials on Monday mornings before lunch. This week, it's art." She says, not looking back.

I quickly followed her into the art room. It was a beautiful room with large windows on two sides. There were skylights in the ceiling. The art teacher greeted us, and went to sit down at her desk. She'd written instructions on the board.

"Make whatever art you want. I don't care." I read. I looked over at Lapis, wondering if it was a joke. She'd already grabbed a tray of multi colored paint, some brushes, some paper, and gotten to work. I raised an eyebrow, but still grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil, and did the same.

After an hour, I looked over my work. I'd just sketched out random little people, just trying to focus on the positions. I wasn't good at art, but I still tried. I looked over at Lapis' work.

"Woah." She had painted a younger girl with brown hair and a backpack standing in front of a large fire. The girl held a match in her hands. You could see a drop of water falling off of her cheek.

"Lapis…" I said, trailing off.

She looked over at me, dark lines under her eyes. I gulped.

"It's beautiful, but is that… you? Did this really happen?" I ask, unsure.

"I told you that I was bad, Peridot. Why don't you believe me?" she said, looking away.

Later that night, in the dorm, we were laying down in our beds. I could finally manage to climb to the top bunk without my ribs hurting too much. Lapis turned out the lights. It was around midnight again.

"Goodnight, Lapis." I say, closing my eyes.

"It's not a good night." She says.

I opened my eyes again. "Lapis… please tell me what's wrong." I said, trailing off.

"No, Peridot. You don't want to know what's wrong!" she yelled.

"Yes, I do! I want to help you!" I yelled back.

"Fine! You want to know what I've done? Then I'll tell you! But don't say I didn't warn you!"


	10. Remembering - The Fight

**So in my creative writing class, I was taught that sometimes adding in a substory, or a story in a story (I forget the actual term it's been awile) can help strengthen your writing. So yeah. Character backstory.**

Peridot: I sat on the bed next to Lapis, leaning against the wall.

"You think you want to know my backstory? It's not a pretty one." Lapis says dejectedly.

I look her in the eyes. "I want to know more about you. So please, try to hang on and tell the story. Stop anytime that you need." I say.

She sighs. "Where should I start? Let's see… I'll start off by telling you what happened during my 7th-8th grade years. This school has a middle school division a few miles south of here, and both Jasper and I attended. I'll start from there."

Lapis: I sighed. I didn't want to relive it. How could I explain it? I just had to remember…

"Hey Jasper." I said. "Hey Lazuli. There's this little twerp who has enough self-esteem to challenge me. Wanna take him down a few notches?" Jasper says, smirking.

I grin. "You know I do. Let's go. Where is he?" I ask confidently.

"He's out on the basketball courts." Jasper replied.

"Ooh, an athlete. This should be easy." I say, walking off towards the doors leading outside.

"There he is. His name is Topaz. He's the one dressed in yellow." Jasper tells me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

I smirk. Let's get started. With Jasper at my side, I confidently walk over to Topaz. He's dribbling around and shooting baskets. Probably a meat head.

"Hey, if it isn't the little loser I've heard so much about." I confidently say. He stops dribbling. "Yeah, I thought you'd show up. Whenever Jasper can't punch her problems, you show up to break them down from the inside." Topaz says, a rebellious glow in his eyes.

I'd soon fix that.

"So you've heard of me. I'm surprised. I didn't think that you had any friends who'd tell you such things. Or any friends at all, really." I said.

He looked me in the eyes. "All of my friends are in the infirmary thanks to that big brute here. At least I have more friends than enemies." He replies.

"My enemies are too scared to do anything to me. Don't worry, you'll soon learn." I reply, looking to the side indifferently.

"I doubt it." He says.

I look back at him, and watch as he throws the basketball at my face. I flinched, but forced myself to stay still.

Before the basketball could hit me, Jasper blocked it. She then grabbed the kid, and flipped him, putting his arm in an armbar. He winced with pain. I walked up to him, and touched his cheek mockingly.

"Aw, sweetie, that's cute. You thought you could hurt me. You. Are. Nothing. You could never hurt me. Just give up. You're too weak to fight back." I say, putting my head close to his.

He spat in my face. I stepped backwards. Jasper slammed his face into the pavement. Blood dripped onto the asphalt.

"You never had a chance. You're weak and useless. I don't even know why anyone would want to be near you. Including me. Let's go, Jasper. I can't stand to look at this pathetic loser anymore." I said, walking away.

Jasper dropped Topaz on the ground and followed suit. I gave her a fist bump.

"Nice." Jasper said.

I smirked.

I could still hear the boy's sobs in the distance.

It was a month later, but Topaz was still hanging in there. Most people gave up after a week or less. He was strong. But he'd fall eventually. We had the same Algebra class, and so I walked in, expecting him to be there. It wasn't really him, though. He had… lost a lot of weight. He looked skinny and tired. I could count his ribs through his shirt. He was starving himself… because of me…

I ran to the bathroom and vomited.

It had been another week, and it had gotten worse. He could barely stand. I saw him, and I ran out of the classroom, and stayed in my dorm for the rest of the day. Lunch period came and went, and I ate nothing. Same thing for dinner. Jasper walked up to my dorm.

"You going to eat?" she asked, holding a tray of chicken nuggets.

I shrugged.

"More for me." She replied.

My stomach growled. My entire body was struggling to function, I couldn't think, I couldn't move, but instinct told me that I had to keep moving. It was agony. How could Topaz bear this? Before bed, I had one apple slice and a cup of water. It wasn't enough.

Two weeks had passed since I'd started starving myself. I hadn't spoken to Topaz since then, either. I'd lost over 40 pounds, and my weight was still going down. Topaz was getting paler and skinnier too. I was worried for him. Was what I was doing… right? Bullying kids for the thrill of it? I had to ask Jasper.

I was walking up to the dorms, when suddenly, Topaz jumped out of the bathroom at me.

"You." He said tonelessly. "I see that you've stopped eating."

I shrugged.

"If I'm going down, then at least I'm bringing you with me." He said, smirking.

I flinched.

"Now, I'm guessing that you haven't ever been at the receiving end of Jasper's fists. So I'll show you what it feels like." Topaz said, lunging at me.

I felt his fist strike my cheek, and I cried out. He reared back his fist for another blow, and I cowered.

I saw another hand grab Topaz's. It was Jasper. I heard the familiar sounds of fighting going on around me. I didn't help, though. I just laid there on the ground.

"Hey, that bruise almost matches your hair." Jasper told me.

I touched the wound on my cheek, and winced. It was a dark brown color, and not healing very well, even after a week.

"Yeah. Maybe I should dye my hair, then. Just to keep my pattern of being a fashion disaster going." I said, grinning.

Jasper laughed.

Topaz had been taken to the infirmary, and was being fed. Good. I still wasn't eating much, though. The lunch bell rung.

"So I'll see you next period, then?" Jasper asked. I didn't even go to the cafeteria anymore.

"Yeah, sure." I said, walking in the opposite direction.

I'd always walk by the main entrance because I loved all of the windows there. I could just sit down and enjoy the scenery. I was headed there now, until –

"Hello, Lazuli." I heard Topaz calling my name.

I turn around, and see him behind me. He's back to being near a normal weight, and his wounds are mostly gone.

"Hey, Topaz." I say weakly, walking backwards. This wasn't going to end well. I could tell her wanted to fight.

"So, I see that you're still not eating. Good. Great, in fact. Now you're weak. No, you were always weak. Now, you're confused, desperate, and even weaker." Topaz says, grinning.

When I don't respond, he continues. "We didn't really finish what we started. Now, it can be a one on one fight. But this time, the odds are in my favor."

I know what's coming. I start to run, but he catches me by the back of my shirt, and throws me down on the ground. I use my foot to sweep his leg, and he falls across from me. I start to stand up, but he grabs my foot. I turn around and punch him in the jaw. He cries out in pain, and kicks me in the eye. I yell, and in that moment, he pins me on the ground.

"How do you like that, Lazuli?" he says.

I can't see on one side, and tears stream down my face. I see of flash of silver out of my good eye.

"Now, here's the part that will really _leave a mark_ on you." He says.

What? Whatever he had planned for me, it wasn't going to be good. I started to thrash, but all of a sudden – I scream.

The skin on my back feels as though it's on fire. I can feel blood running down my spine. I clench my fists and squeeze my eyes shut. I couldn't handle this.

"You're a worthless coward, you know that Lazuli?" he says. "You tore me down; but now, I'm finally doing it back. Maybe this way, I can save more people like me in the future, you know?" he says.

I lay on the ground, passive.

"You're a horrible person. You only care about yourself and that big brute. You're not much better. You're just an ugly coward who hides behind fancy words. You'll tear down anyone else as long as it makes you feel better. You deserve this pain. This is how you've made others feel. Do you understand?" Topaz asks.

"Yes." I whisper.

"Good. My work is done." He said. We sit there in silence until I hear footsteps running towards us. "Hurry, call 911! That man has a knife!"

…It hurt to remember. Peridot stared at me, her eyes wide. I looked away, blushing.

"What happened? To your back, I mean." She asks. I lift the back of my shirt, revealing a long scar that stretches from my left shoulder blade to the bottom right hand side of my rib cage. Tears roll down my face.

"So… yeah. Basically, I was a bully who loved to tear others down. I finally realized that it was wrong. Only after causing someone to starve themselves. I did the same thing to myself out of shame. Topaz wanted revenge, and he got it." I say.

Peridot sighs. "That's a lot for a person to handle. It's okay, though. You realized why it was wrong. You've changed." Peridot says.

"Oh, but there's more. I did even more. If you haven't started to hate me yet, Peridot, you will." I say. I continue my story.


	11. Remembering - The Fire

**Lol just playing on TV show Lapis' PTSD. Trying to give this Lapis some version of that.**

Lapis: "Let's see… I mean, it's been about a year and a half since this next part happened. It's hard to remember." I say, looking away. "After I got out of the hospital three months later, it was summer vacation. I went back to live with my parents in their mansion for a bit. It didn't turn out so well." I said. I tried to look back…

"I'm home!" I say, stepping out of the taxi.

My parents are standing at the end of our driveway. I run up to hug my mom, but she takes a step back.

"Lapis Lazuli, you know that I don't like that kind of physical contact." She says.

"Mom, I haven't seen you since last September. We haven't talked once. I've even just come out of the hospital from a life-threatening injury. Can't you make an exception?" I say. She shakes her head.

"It was your own fault that you got hurt. Don't expect sympathy." She says.

I blush. "Oh, so it's my fault I got hit with a knife?" I say, fuming.

"Oh, is that how you got hurt? Well, you could've dodged it better or something like that." She says, looking into her pocket mirror.

I stomp my foot in frustration. "You didn't even ask how I got hurt?" I say.

She closes her pocket mirror. "Of course not, although I did ask why the hospital bill was so high. Life support is expensive. Now, let's go into the house. I'm about to miss the new episode of the Kardashians." She says, walking away.

I look at my father. He's on his phone. He hadn't even greeted me. I grab my bags and stomp inside.

It had been two days, and I was already lonely. I didn't have any friends except Jasper, and she was on a cruise in the Antarctic this summer with no cell service. I was still questioning if what I was doing – bullying others – was right. My parents had never taught me any moral values, so I had no clue.

I walked down the steps from my room, and into the foyer. I could hear voices coming from the living room. I was about to walk in, when my mother came out of the doorway and walked over to me.

"Lapis, what are you doing? We have company over. We're discussing an important business deal. You can't just walk in looking like that." My mother says, looking me over.

"Oh, sure, I can change." I say, walking back to my room. I'd dressed a certain way today just to impress her, but it was fine. I'd wanted to ask her about bullying.

"Oh, Lapis, it's not just your clothes. Can't you do something with your hair? And maybe put on some nice makeup?" My mother said. I blushed. "I brushed my hair just five minutes ago, and I already put on makeup." I said.

"Yes, but you still look… unfashionable. I never liked your hairstyle, and your makeup is too subtle. Try to look nice for a change." She says, walking back into the living room.

I was fuming. I stomped out of the mansion, and into town.

I walk into the hair salon. "Morning, Lapis. Haven't seen you in a while. What would you like today?" the receptionist asks.

I think for a second, and then respond, "I'd like to add some color today."

I wanted to spite my mother, and this seemed like the best way. She receptionist pointed to an empty chair, and I sat down. The hairdresser walked over.

"Hey, Lapis. What's up for today?" she asked.

"I'd like to dye my hair." I say, looking in the mirror.

"Color? Wow, that's new. Tired of your natural brown? Then what color would you like?" the hair stylist said. I thought for a moment.

"I'll go for blue today." I responded.

"Alright, if that's what you want." The stylist said, getting to work.

I walked home, feeling happy. I walked into the mansion, and went into my room. I changed into a white tank top, light blue ripped jeans, and my blue and black skater shoes. I washed off all of my makeup. I smiled into the mirror. She would hate this. I walked downstairs into the living room. I didn't see the guests, but I saw my mother and father sitting down on an expensive couch.

"Lapis Lazuli, what are you doing?" I hear my mother say. I grinned.

"Well, you told me to 'look nice for a change'. So now I do." I said, looking to the side with a smug face.

"You change right this instant! You look like those skateboarding delinquents that I see ride past here every day!" she yelled.

So she hated skateboarders…

I'd walked into town and bought all of the parts for a skateboard; the wheels, the trucks, the bolts, the grip tape, and the deck. But I'd gotten a special "create your own" deck that I could design myself. I'd gotten a lot of spray paint, too. I loved art.

I put a bandana on my face so I wouldn't breathe in the fumes. I got to work. When I was finished, the board was painted so it looked like it faded from water to ice. Nice. I'd always liked water.

I walked over to my family's tennis courts. No one in the family was athletic, so we never used them. I put the skateboard down, and got on. I tried to push, but I almost immediately fell. I winced. My elbow was bleeding. I got on, and tried again. I skated around for an hour or so. I'd finally learned how to push, turn, and kick turn. Now I had to learn how to jump.

I woke up, exhausted. My arms and legs were covered in scrapes and bruises. I grabbed my skateboard, and walked downstairs. I saw my father sipping his coffee, reading the paper, and walking out of the door.

"Hey, Dad. Can I ask you something?" I said. He turned to look at me.

"Sure. But don't take long." He replied.

"Oh, do you have somewhere to be?" I asked, not wanting to hold him up.

"No." he replied.

Wow, what a great father.

"What do you think about bullying?" I asked.

I thought that I knew the answer by now, but I wanted to see what he thought.

"Oh, I do it all the time. I do it to coworkers, to my superiors, to my friends, to my family – it's not morally ethical, but it gives me money and power. Why? Is someone bullying you? Can we sue them? Can we sue them for money?" My father said, looking up at me from his paper.

"No." I said. He nodded, and left.

Money. It had been tearing our family apart for years. He had even told me that bullying wasn't right, but that he did it anyways. Our family was corrupted, and I had to stop it. Or at least stop myself from being one of them.

A day later, I asked my mom the same thing.

"I refuse to answer you until you change your appearance to be suitable. I will not have anyone in this house embarrass me." She said, looking away.

"Is that all you care about?" I yelled.

She whipped around, and looked me in the eyes. Hers were a cold grey, like all the life had been leeched from them.

"Why are you acting like this? We never wanted a child like this! We never wanted a child at all!" she yelled.

I took a step back. She smirked at me. I started to shake my head, but she continued.

"We never meant to have you. You were a mistake. Our biggest mistake." She said.

I ran out of the house, and back to the tennis court. They'd never meant to have me… I was a mistake… That's why they'd never loved me. They'd never even tried. I cried out in anger. "Their biggest mistake." I'd show them.

I stood in the front lawn of my house, in front of an open window. I'd grabbed my backpack, and filled it with some clothes, a water bottle, some fruit, bandages, matches, and $500. I held my skateboard in my left hand. I knew that the house was empty. My parents were out at some fancy dinner party.

Was I really going to do this? I had to. My father lied, stole, cheated, and bullied. He was self-centered, and only cared about money. My mother only cared about appearance, and she didn't care about anything – or anyone else. Not even me. She'd never even tried.

In my right hand, I held a lit match. I closed my eyes, and threw it into the window. I skated away, the only home I'd ever known burning behind me.

Peridot stared at me.

"So… you burned down your own house?" she says in awe.

"Yeah… I mean, no one was killed or injured, and the fire didn't spread past the house. I haven't seen them since. My parents decided that since they had no home, they'd go on a world tour. They'll come back after another six years." I said, trailing off.

Peridot hugs me.


	12. Remembering - The Redemption

**I have nothing to say except PLEASE COMMENT IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY**

Lapis: "But that isn't the end of it." I say, looking away. The story wasn't over yet. I'd told Peridot so many horrible things already, and there were more to come. I really was a terrible person…

I was miles away from my burnt house, two towns over. My legs hurt from skating this far, I was drenched in sweat, and exhausted. It was the middle of July, and the dead of night. I looked around. On one side of the road, there was a large office building. But on the other, there was a forest. I hopped over the guard rail, and walked through the trees. I leaned against the back of a tall sycamore, and fall asleep.

I wake up to the blinding light of the rising sun. I glance around. No one has taken any of my stuff, which is good. I walk into town, not knowing what to do next. I have no home, no family. I'm all alone.

I've been like this for a month now. I figured out that I could strap myself into a tree at night using bungee cords. It wasn't comfy, but it was safe. I had a new, water proof backpack for when it rained.

During the day, I'd either buy food, go into town for water, or go into the local skate park. Some days, I'd even go to the beach and surf. I'd gotten pretty good in the past month.

But one day, I'd seen a missing child poster with my face on it. There wasn't a picture, only an artist sketch. My parents didn't have any pictures of me, so I guess they had to make due.

I quickly tore the poster down, and walked away. Today, I decided to just relax in the forest. I was building a fire, when I suddenly heard a twig crack. I looked up. Not many animals came this close to humans. This had to be a person. I heard another branch break. I was being watched. I pulled out the only weapon I had; a pocket knife. I looked around. I saw a gun barrel aimed at me. I tried to move, but it was too late. Everything went black.

I blinked my eyes open. I wasn't hurt, and I wasn't dead. It must've been a tranquilizer dart. I looked around. I was laying down on a steel cot… in a cell. I must be at the police station. I stand up, and walk over to the bars.

"Hello?" I say, hoping that someone will hear me.

A man in a police uniform walks around the corner.

"I see that you're awake, Ms. Lazuli. We're sorry that we had to shoot you asleep, but you had a knife. We didn't want anyone to get hurt." He says.

"Yeah. I heard someone stalking me, and I pulled out a knife. Maybe you could've asked me to put the knife down first." I said, looking away.

"No matter. You're in quite a bit of trouble. Burning down your house, running away, pulling out a weapon at an officer – things don't look good." He says.

"What's… What's going to happen to me?" I say quietly.

"Well, your parents aren't going to do much about you burning down the house. Er… their exact words were "At least now we don't have to deal with her every summer." They also said that they're going on a world tour for seven years, and that they – and I quote – "Want nothing to do with you." As for running away – you caused a month long investigation. It was a lot of hassle for us police. Again, we can't do much about it. And you're right, we should've warned you to put down your knife before shooting. When I said that you're in trouble, I mostly meant about with your parents." The police officer says.

I give a harsh laugh. "No, my parents have always been like that. At least now they won't have to remind me what a failure I am for the next few years." I say.

On September 1st, I'm sent back to school. My parents are still paying for it, because that way they don't have to deal with me for the school year. I was kept by the police until then.

The first day of 8th grade looks bleak. I don't want to have to deal with any questions about last year. I glance at my schedule. Room 104. I walk in, and find Jasper sitting at an empty table. I start to walk to her. As I do, I see heads turning my way. I blush, and sit down.

Jasper grins at me. "I see someone's changed. New hair, new clothes, and no house." Jasper says.

I jump.

"Yeah, I heard. Remember, our parents are friends. But I do like your new look." She says.

I blush a little harder. "It's nothing, really. I did it to spite my parents, but I ended up liking it." I say, looking away.

"Don't see why. Your parents are nice people." Jasper says, writing down the homework. I whipped around to face her.

"My parents are horrible people. Don't even try to justify them." I said.

Jasper shrugged. "Woah, so much anger. I like it, though. Alright, if that's what you want. But I still have my opinion of them." Jasper says, looking down at her paper. I glare down at my own paper.

It has a few questions; icebreakers, really. The first one reads "Describe your summer vacation in 2-3 paragraphs." I think back to my summer. I angrily write on my paper.

Jasper looks over at me, grabs my paper, and reads it. "'I burnt down my house because my parents are horrible, greedy people. The end.' Pretty sure that's not even one paragraph, Lapis." Jasper says, smirking.

I glare at her. She puts her hands up and shrugs.

"Alright, alright. I'll leave you be." She says.

After a few moments she turns around to face me. "So, if I may ask, how's your back?" she says.

I sigh and look away. "The doctors say that it's never going to fully heal. I'll be marked there for the rest of my life." I say, dejected.

Jasper gives a short laugh. "Why are you so sad about it? It's only a small battle scar." I whip around to face her.

"I never wanted this! Any of it!" I say.

She shrugs and goes back to her work. I sit still in my chair for the rest of the period.

The bell rings, ending class. I walk out, and I feel people shoving me. I look around, and see familiar faces… all people who I'd hurt in the past. Except for one. He had blonde hair and yellow clothes. He stared me down. I looked away, and ran to my next class.

It has been about two months since I've gotten here. I haven't bullied anyone, but I haven't stopped Jasper, either. Today, Jasper is sick with the flu, so I walk the hallways alone.

"Hey, Lazuli." I hear an unfamiliar voice calling to me. I turn around. It was the kid who'd been staring at me before. "What do you want?" I ask, confused. "I was Topaz's best friend last year. Now, he's not going to this school anymore, and it's all your fault." He says, fists clenched. I could tell that he was itching for a fight.

He ran at me, his fist reared back for a punch. I panicked. I can't fight, I never have! I ducked down low, and before he was close enough to punch me, I swept his foot out and pushed up on his chest. He flew over me, and skidded on the hallway floors.

He jumped up, and I ran over, aiming my fist at his head. It hit – but he grabbed my outstretched hand, turned, and threw me.

The wind was knocked out of me, and I started to see spots dancing at the corners of my vision. He kicked me in the stomach – once, twice. I groaned. His foot came down for a third hit, and so I rolled, grabbed his foot, stood up, and kicked him in the chest.

He fell on the floor, his foot still in my hands. I lifted my foot above his head, about to kick, and he laughed.

"Ha! Look at you! You're a monster! You destroyed my best friend's life, and now, when I try to make things even, you try to destroy me, too. Pathetic. That's all you'll ever be." He said.

I stopped, my eyes widening. That's what Topaz had said to me.

In my distraction, the boy grabbed my feet, and knocked me to the ground. He stood up, and rolled me onto my back. My arms were pinned beneath me, and my legs couldn't reach him. I felt his foot kick my head, and I cried out.

He put one foot on my back. "Now, I believe this is where he hurt you?" he said, putting pressure on my scar. I winced. I couldn't breathe. He lifted his foot up, and I knew what was to come. I rolled over, and jumped up. I punched him in his jaw, and he fell to the floor.

I struck him blindly. All I could feel was the rage coursing through my veins. I wasn't going to let things end like this. I had to live. I didn't know what I was doing. I felt a hand on my arm, and it wasn't him. My vision cleared, my rage subsided. It was Jasper.

She was smiling. I looked back. Other students were helping the boy up. I looked at what I'd done to him. He had a blackened eye, a bloody nose, two missing teeth, various bruises, broken ribs, and a broken arm.

I took a step back, shaking my head.

"Well done, Lapis. I couldn't have done it better myself." Jasper told me. I put my hands to my mouth and ran.

What had I done? I ran into the bathroom, tears streaking down my face. I looked down at my hands, and was shocked to see that they were coated in blood. A few of my knuckles were split. I looked into the mirror. I had a huge bruise on my cheek from where he'd kicked me. I looked down, and saw bloody scratches on my shin. I hadn't even felt him do that. I'd been out of control. I cried out in frustration, and hit my head on the walls.

I was horrible. I'd hurt him so much more than I'd needed to. I didn't even know his name. I washed the blood off my hands, and walked up to my dorm room. I got some bandages out of my bag, and wrapped them around my hands. I sat on the bed, dejected. I was a monster.

When I walked into Room 104, my teacher stopped me at the door. "Ms. Lazuli, due to the… unfortunate… events of yesterday, we've decided to transfer you to the… more troubled class. You'll be the first member, although we do have other people in mind. The school board has agreed that you're a bit… unstable at the moment, and we don't want you to be near others. Your new class is in the basement." She said.

I was fuming, but I couldn't let it show. I walked dejectedly down to the basement.

It was a quiet class, but I could learn well. No one would bother me anymore. I was more relaxed than I'd been in months.

After a week, a two new students walked into class. I had never seen one of them before, but I knew the other. It was a girl named Amethyst. Jasper and I had… started to bully her near the end of last year. I'd only really done one day. Then, I'd seen how hurtful bullying could be because of Topaz, and I'd stopped.

I gulped. She'd probably hate me. The two of them sat down behind me. The teacher started on today's lesson. I was trying to take notes, but I kept feeling something hit me in the head. I knew it was Amethyst, but I tried to ignore it. The teacher turned around to the chalkboard, her back facing us. I turned around to talk to the two girls.

"What?" I asked, impatient. Amethyst flicked me in the forehead. "What was that for?" I asked indignantly.

"For bullying me and all of those other kids last year. They can't get revenge themselves, so I'll do it for them." Amethyst replied. I turned back around.

Amethyst flicked me again, and whispered "Aren't you going to fight back? Or are you too afraid?" She was trying to provoke me.

"I deserve it." I whispered back. I endured her taunts for the rest of class.

I walked up to my dorm room. I tried to unlock the door into the commons, but it wouldn't open. Jasper walked over to me. "Hey, Lazuli. Now that you're in a different class, you have a different dorm. Your student ID won't open the door for this one." Jasper says. My eyes widen. I'd have to bunk with Amethyst. I groaned, and walked off.

When I enter my dorm room, I find Amethyst and the other girl – Pearl – sitting in the dorm room. Waiting for me. I gulp, and bring my backpack into the room.

"Hello." I said. "I guess you guys are rooming together. I'll just… take a room over here." I said awkwardly.

I started to back away, and I felt something heavy hit me in the back of my head. I looked down, and saw that it was an apple. I whipped back around.

"What do you want from me? I'm sorry, okay?" I yelled. Amethyst stood up. "Oh, you're probably sorry now that you have to live with someone you bullied. I can get revenge on you anytime I want. I'm doing this for all those other kids who can't! You don't know how much it hurts!" Amethyst yelled back.

My face flushed. "Of course I know how much it hurts! I've been through this too! Why do you think that I've stopped bullying people this year? Why do you think I was starving myself last year? Why do you think that I have a giant scar on my back? Why do you think I burned down my home? Because I'm sorry, I'm confused, I'm hurt – I would redo it all if I could! But I can't just let every single person take revenge on me!" I yell back.

Amethyst smiles. "Maybe you can." She says.

I take a step back. "What?" I say, not sure if I heard her right.

"Yeah, that's actually a good idea. If you let every person you've ever bullied get you back, then I'll leave you alone. But until then, I'll keep this up." Amethyst says, grinning.

I flinch. This could destroy me.

"Fine. I'll do it. You know what, I'll start with you, then. Go on! Do it!" I said. I had to try.

Amethyst grinned. "Gladly." She replied, cracking her knuckles. I gulped.

I blink my eyes – No, my eye – open. One eye was swelled shut. I got out of bed, and groaned. I limped into the common room. Amethyst and Pearl sat there, talking. At the sight of me, Pearl winced, but Amethyst laughed.

"Heh. Did you sleep well?" Amethyst asked, smirking.

"No." I say bitterly. Amethyst laughs again.

"Oh, and you'd better cover up those marks, or the teachers are going to be after you. Hopefully you're good with makeup." Amethyst says, laughing.

I blush and walk off to the bathroom dejectedly. I had to do this, though.

It's been three months now. I've been hurt by so many people, I've lost count. A few did nothing, but most either yelled at me or hit me. I'm almost done, though.

I get out of bed after an especially difficult night. I try to walk, but I immediately fall down with a crash. I cry out in pain. Amethyst walks into the room.

"Are you… okay?" she asks, looking apprehensively at me.

I struggle to get up. "It's fine." I say. I fall again.

"Dude, that's what people who aren't fine say. Look, I might've started this challenge kind of… rashly… I mean, you've proved yourself. But… it's getting worse. You should take some time to heal. What I'm saying is… that it's okay to stop." She says.

I try to get up again, but my left leg refuses to hold my weight. I grunt. "No… you were right. I have to do this. It helps those people so much." I say.

"It doesn't help them. It turns them into the same kind of monster that you used to be." Amethyst yells.

I wince. "You… Do you still think I'm a monster…?" I ask, staring at the ground.

"Well, I mean… a lot of people feared you… some still might. They probably had a nightmare or two about you. I know that I have…" Amethyst says, rubbing her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm a horrible person, I know. I can't change what I did. But I can change what I do from now on." I say, limping out of the door.

I meet Jasper in the hallways.

"So, I've been hearing that you're letting yourself get beat up now? I never thought that you'd sink so low." Jasper growls.

"It's not low. I'm letting people get closure. I refuse to hurt anyone anymore." I say.

"It's weak. It's soft. You're a horrible person now. What happened to you? You used to be so much better." Jasper says, shaking her head.

"You're wrong. I'm a better person than I've ever been. If you think any differently, then we can't be friends." I say, stopping.

"Friends? I want more than that. You can't ditch me now, Lazuli!" she yells.

With an angry growl, she punches me in the face.

I stagger backwards. I look her in the eyes, and walk away. We're over.

I sigh. "That's what happened." I tell Peridot. My face is tear stained.

"Do you hate me yet? If you were smart then you would. I'm a horrible person." I say, glancing at the floor. I suddenly feel Peridot hug me.

"You're a wonderful person. You've realized your mistakes. You could still be Jasper's friend, you could still bully people. But you're different, and that's what makes you special. How you could go through all of that, and still be sane, I don't know. You're so strong. You care, you try, and you refuse to give up. It's okay to mess up, though. It's okay. Even if you think that it's not okay now, it will be, I promise. I know that you never lose your demons, but you just learn to live over them. It's the way things are. One day, you'll look back on that whole thing, and think how much you grew because of it. Sometimes growing hurts. Life hurts. But it's okay. You'll live." Peridot says, hugging me.

I openly sob into her arms.


	13. Kiss

**Now that's over. That last chapter was my longest yet; over 3,000 words! Have fun reading and remember to comment!**

Peridot: I had no idea that Lapis had been… so different. I didn't care, though. It just proved that she was stronger than anyone I'd ever met. She could've been like Jasper. She was different because she'd wanted to be. And that made me love her even more. It must've hurt so much to change, but she'd done it. It made me love her that much more.

It was finally December. My first month at school was over. I sat with Lapis in the common room. I was reading and Lapis was drawing. I hadn't realized what an amazing artist she was. "Oh, hey, did I tell you the great news?" Lapis asks. I shake my head. "Jasper's going to the Winter Olympics for snowboarding, so she won't be at the school for a month and a half." Lapis says, grinning. I return her smile. We were free, even if just for a little bit. "I never thought she had talent. Consider me impressed." I said. Lapis smirked. "Yeah, I know. I assume that bribery and threats had something to do with it." Lapis said. "Of course. Jasper will probably will because the other competitors will all have dropped out of the event for mysterious reasons. And then they all bought yachts." I say. We both laugh. It feels good to be free.

It was only a day to Christmas. Lapis and I were free. One day, we even held hands in the hallway. It was good. Today, we'd decorated a Christmas tree in the dorm room. Now, it was almost midnight. "Hey, Lapis?" I asked. "Are we doing Christmas presents this year?" I asked. "I mean… neither of us has any money or a way to buy a present. So unless you really want to, then no." She says. I sigh. "Thank goodness. I didn't have anything, and I was starting to panic. Like, a lot." I say. She laughs. "So, on a scale of panicked to not panicked, you would rate it 'a lot'. Thanks for clearing that up." She says. I laugh. She occasionally was really sarcastic like this. Since I was a little tumblr nerd, I loved it. "Hey, have you heard that it's supposed to snow tomorrow?" Lapis asks. I nod. "Yeah. I've never seen snow before. It sounds cool, though." I say. "You've never seen snow?" she asks. "Yeah. It just doesn't snow where I live." I say, shrugging. "Well, I guess tomorrow can be a first." She says. I hold my hand out to her. She takes it. I feel warmth spread through my body. She always made me feel alive. We walk into our dorm room, smiling. She sat down on her bed, and I started to climb to the top bunk. "Hey, Peridot? Do you… um… want to… uh…" she stutters. I smile, and stop on the ladder. "What could be so embarrassing that it leaves you speechless, Lazuli?" I say. "Do you… want to sleep down here… tonight? In the… same bed?" she stutters. I fall off of the ladder. "Ah! I mean, if not, that's fine. I mean, it's Christmas Eve. It's special…" she says, blushing. I stand up. "Of course I do, Lapis. You know how I feel about you." I say, walking towards her bunk. She smirks. "And how is that?" she says. I blush. "I mean… uh…" I stutter. She laughs. "Now who's the speechless one?" she asks, smiling. "It's you. It's still you." I say. I stoop down, and kiss her on the cheek. Her face flushes bright red. I smile. She rolls over in bed, leaving space for me. I climb in. I feel the warmth of her body next to mine. I drift off into a peaceful slumber.

"Peridot! Wake up!" I hear Lapis calling my name. I jolt awake. "What? Did you flood the toilets again?" I groggily ask. "What? No-" "Did you lose my hoodie?" "No, I-" "Did you use my hairbrush again?" "What? How did you know – I mean no…" Lapis says. I smile. "Anyways, it's Christmas! And it's been snowing a lot! Like, it's snowed a foot already, and it's not supposed to stop until it's four feet high!" Lapis said, grinning from ear to ear. She was so cute when she was excited. I jump out of bed, and she hugs me. "Merry Christmas, Peridot." She says. I hug her back. "Merry Christmas, Lapis." I say. We smile at each other for a moment, and then look away. "Hey, do you want to go outside in the snow?" Lapis asks. My eyes light up. "You know I do. But are we allowed?" I ask, apprehensive. "Has that ever stopped us?" she asks with a playful smile. "Of course not. Let's go." I say. We run out the door like little kids.

"So, where are we going to go?" I ask her, running down the hallways. "Let's go somewhere they can't catch us. Somewhere like… the roof." Lapis says, grinning. She takes a hard left down a hallway. She turns into a small utility room, and I follow. Inside, there's a small ladder bolted to the walls leading upwards. Lapis climbs it as quickly as she can. "Hey, wait up! You know I'm not athletic!" I call up to her. I hear her distant laugh. "I'm not either. I'm just really excited!" she calls down. I climb the ladder as fast as I can, my hands desperately clinging to the metal rungs. I reach the top of the ladder, and my eyes widen. "Hey, Peridot! How do you like snow?" she calls. The roof and its surroundings are covered in a white shimmering blanket of snow. Tiny flakes falling from the sky burn my face, and I can feel my skin flush. "Woah." I say, looking around in amazement.

"Hey, Peridot, what do you want to do up here?" I ask. I've never played in snow, so I have no clue. She grins. "What about a snowball fight?" she asks. "What?" I ask, confused. "Basically, we each have a fort, and you throw snowballs at each other. The added danger is the edge of the roof. Hopefully no one falls." She says, grinning. I laugh. This sort of reckless, adventurous, action-packed game was so much like something Lapis would do. But designing a fort was something I would love. "Alright. Then let's build forts and snowballs, and in a few minutes, we can snowball battle or whatever you call it." I say. "It's going to take more than a few minutes." Lapis says. I shrug. "I'll build quickly." I say, running off to find a good spot.

I have done it. In ten minutes, I've built the perfect base! It has an underground shielding area, a slightly raised firing area, and a perfect location to snipe Lapis' measly base from. It's perfect! "Hey, Lapis, are you ready?" I call. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be!" she replies. I hear footsteps running towards me. I knew that she'd charge. She's running around, shielding herself from my view. I throw three snowballs at a large snowbank. As soon as I do, she runs out from behind it. I throw another snowball, but she ducks and rolls, still advancing. Panicked, I jump out of my fort, and throw another snowball in midair. It hits her in the face, and she falls over. I'm about to call out to her, but I can hear her laughing. I smile.

Three hours later, we're both soaking wet. I duck behind a snowbank for cover just as a snowball goes whizzing by. I can see her fort from here. I charge towards it, running back and forth in a zig zag. I can hear her laughing from behind me. I turn around to look at her, but I keep running. She's sprinting towards me, too, an evil grin on her face and lumpy snowballs in her hands. Suddenly, her laughing turns to a gasp. "Peridot, look out!" I turn forwards just in time to see the edge of the roof. I plummet.

I cry out as I'm falling. I suddenly feel something grasp my outstretched wrist. I look up. Lapis has grabbed my left arm with both hands, desperately clinging on. I look down. It would be a three story drop from this height. I gulp and look up at her. "Be careful." I whisper. She tries to pull me up with all of her might, but it's not enough. "Try to use your feet to climb the wall while I pull you up." She says through gritted teeth. I use my feet to grasp the brick wall, and I fly onto the roof. I land ontop of Lapis. We stare at each other for a moment, and then laugh. I hug her. "Thanks for not dropping me." I say. "It wasn't easy, I'll tell you." She says. I stand up. "Maybe we should take a break." I say, panting. I hold a hand out to her, and pull her up. "Yeah. Do you want to build a… snow fort? And like, stay the night up here?" she asks. My eyes light up. "Like with a roof?" I ask. She smiles. "Whatever you want it to be. I can go back down and grab blankets and hot cocoa and stuff." She replies, smiling at the look of childish delight on my face. I run over to a large area of undisturbed snow, and start to build. The snow is about two and a half feet high right now, and it was still coming down.

I hear the trapdoor to the ladder open. "Peridot… I was only gone for five minutes… how did you do all of this?" Lapis asks. I grin. I'd carved out a room in the snow that was about five feet wide, five feet long, and five feet high. "Pure adrenaline. Oh, and I'm not even finished yet. We still need a porch." I reply. She snickers. "A porch? What do we need a porch for?" she asks. "I thought you said that you would bring hot cocoa. We can't just drink food where we're going to sleep. We're not savages." I reply, smirking.

Another half hour later, we were finally done. Our "house" had a porch with two snow chairs, a snow table, a small snow railing, one room with a "bed", and a solid roof. My hands were freezing, but I was satisfied. "Hey, Peridot, I have some hot chocolate for you. It's not really hot anymore, it's just kind of warm, but still. I sit down in my chair, and take a few sips. It tasted better than anything I'd ever had. I drank in the scene; the dark grey sky, a pale snow, the red of Lapis' cold face, the shape of our breath spiraling into the cold air – it was more amazing than anything I'd ever seen.

"Hey, Lapis, can you sleep?" I called out to her in the frozen night. After we'd had hot chocolate, we'd built snowmen, made snow angels, and even snowboarded on a tiny track Lapis had made. At sundown, when we couldn't see anything, we'd finally gone to bed. But we didn't sleep. "No, I'm still awake. It's been an amazing day from start to finish. I think I'm still too excited." Lapis says. "Do you want to go look at the stars?" I asked. "Sure, let's go. Has it stopped snowing?" Lapis replied. "Yeah. But I think it'll start up again soon." I respond. We walk into the frozen night. I find the generator on the edge of the roof. It was built in to the school, and four feet higher than the rest of the roof. It made a nice little mountain. We climb onto the generator, trying not to slip on the icy ground. We sit in silence for a while, staring at the bright, starry sky. I put my hand down onto Lapis'. She smiles, and leans on my shoulder. "I can't believe that we've had only two months together. It feels like I've known you my whole life." Lapis says, breaking the quiet serenity of the night. "I know. It's like… without you, I can't even function. You… are my life…" I say, embarrassed. I can see her blush in the moonlight. "I mean, I know that I haven't said it before, even though I should've, but… I love you, Lapis." I say. An awkward pause falls between us. Then – I feel her kiss me. I tense for just a moment, but then I embrace it, embrace her. I close my eyes. It's as if a fire is inside my heart, melting away the cold of the snow. I need air, and we break apart, staring into each other's eyes. "I love you too, Peridot. I have for a long time. I just… couldn't find the words to tell you." She says. "It's okay. You can just show me." I say, and we kiss again under the light of the stars.


	14. Aftermath

**I redid this chapter and chapter six they're both much better. Also I just re-read my earlier chapters and wow my writing was horrible how did you guys stand it? Anyways I think I started this chapter four months ago and have been constantly revising it.**

Peridot: I wake up shivering. It's freezing. I'm soaked to the bone with ice cold water. In the middle of the night, I'd woken up and seen Lapis shivering in the corner, so I'd given her our only blanket, leaving myself with nothing to shield the cold. I curl up into a ball, trying to stay warm. I coughed. It wasn't working.

I heard Lapis turn over. "Morning Peridot." She says, sleepily blinking open her eyes.

"Peridot, you look freezing! Why don't you have your blanket on? Did I steal it last night?" she says, her voice wavering.

"No, I gave it to you. I didn't realize how cold it would be. It's okay though; I'm fine." I reply. I was not fine.

"Ah! Let's get you warm! You're going to freeze!" she says. She looks worried, but as we walk over to the ladder, we hold hands.

oO0Oo

I lay in bed, sneezing. I might be a bit sick. Lapis was sitting at the foot of the bed, smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Huh?" she replied.

"You were grinning at me." I say, blushing slightly.

"Oh, was I? Sorry." she says in return, her cheeks flushing.

"No, it's fine. I… don't mind." I reply.

She smiles again. I return her grin. She hugs me.

"Ah. What?" I say, slightly smushed.

"It's just so great to be with you." I hug her back.

"You're great." I whisper. She squeezes me tighter. I can barely breathe, but I don't care.

oO0Oo

We let go, smiling. I look her in the eyes. They're an ice blue color, like frost on a cold winter day. She steadily gazes back at me.

"Are we having a staring contest that I didn't know about?" she asks after a moment, her gaze unwavering.

I blush. "…Yes," I say, wanting an excuse to look at her again.

She laughs. "Alright."

Suddenly, she leans in and gives me a soft kiss on the bridge of my nose. I reflexively close my eyes.

She gives me a lopsided grin. "Looks like I win."

"You may have won the fake staring contest, but since you kissed me, I'm the real winner." I murmur.

She grins and blushes.

oO0Oo

Later that night, just before we go to bed, Lapis looks at her bunk, and then at the floor.

I sigh. "You have an idea, don't you?"

She grins. "You know me so well."

Instead of laying down on her mattress, she sits with her back against the bed.

"The bed is too small for two people," she says plainly.

I roll my eyes good naturedly and sit next to her. She leans down until her head is in my lap. She smiles for a moment, and then looks up, mildly concerned.

"Er… this is okay, isn't it?" she asks reproachfully.

I nod and smile gently. "Of course. You can do anything you want. I just want you to be happy."

She blinks once. "In that case," she starts. She leans to her side, slowly pulling me down with her onto the softly carpeted floor. We both lay on our sides, facing each other. I can feel her every breath against my cheek. She wraps her foot around my ankle, and I can feel a spark of happiness slowly travel through my body.

I lean in slowly for a kiss, and her lips meet mine for just a second. I smile and say, "This is okay, isn't it?"

I don't need to be able to see her face in the dark to know that she's smiling.

"I love you, Peri."

"I love you too."

oO0Oo

I sit up slowly, awoken by the sound of footsteps.

"Just five more minutes," I say, rubbing my eyes.

When my vision clears, I see Amethyst staring down at me and Lapis. Her head is in my lap, and I blush, almost feeling as though Amethyst is intruding. I gently shake Lapis' shoulder. Her ice blue eyes slowly blink open.

"What?" she murmurs, rolling onto her side.

"We have, um, company," I whisper.

At this, her eyes blink open and she sits up with a jolt, knocking her head into mine. She looks at me with concern and says, "Sorry! I didn't realize you were so close!"

I rub the spot on my nose where her head hit mine. "It's fine," I say, shooting a glance at our visitors, one of whom is laughing. "It's some other people who aren't."

I can feel her heartbeat against my chest, and as she realizes that the person watching us is friends, not an enemy, it begins to return to a somewhat normal pace.

"Why… Why are you in our room? How long have you, um, been here?" she asks, a small, rosy blush growing on her face.

"I was walking by your room, and the door was open, and I saw you two on the floor. At first, I thought it was a mistake. Now I realize that you nerds did it on purpose. How cute," Amethyst says lightly, though her eyes show something else.

"Haha. Well, you've seen us. We've been seen. Please leave," I ramble nervously. Something about her nature today made me… uncomfortable.

She narrows her eyes slightly, but merely says, "Oh, but you should be glad to have company. I'd be surprised if you've seen someone other than each other this past week. Month. Year," she says, putting a crack in her good natured act.

"What do you want, Amethyst?" Lapis says, rolling her eyes.

"I don't want anything," she lies.

"You clearly do. What's your problem?" I demand.

She stomps her foot. "My problem is you!" she yells.

A look of hurt registers on my face. Lapis must see it, for she puts her hand on my shoulder.

"Lay off her, Amethyst," Lapis says in a low, threatening voice.

Amethyst snorts. "Why should I? She stole away one of my best friends! I barely see you now, Lapis, and when I do, half the time you've been beaten up by Jasper!" she yells.

This time it's Lapis' turn to flinch. My gaze darkens.

"Take it back," I mutter angrily.

She narrows her eyes at me. "Why? We all know it's true, Peridot! Your girl here acts tough, but she's just a wimp with a big ego. She's too weak to fight back. That's why Jasper hurts her."

I don't even need to look at Lapis to know how she feels. I stand up quickly, grab the collar of Amethyst's shirt, and pin her to the wall.

"I said, take it back!" I yell, "None of that is true!"

She shrugs, smirking. "I don't know, Peridot. Every time you've seen her fight, hasn't she lost?"

I stare into her eyes. They're a dark indigo, almost purple. They could be beautiful if they weren't filled with so much hatred.

"See? You know I'm right. She's weak. I don't know why you'd even dream of being with her," Amethyst says, her voice filled with malice.

I pause. I can hear the steady drip of Lapis' tears onto the floor. I push Amethyst tighter against the wall with my fist. "Because of her personality. Weak, strong, who cares? It's rare to find someone as beautiful as her, but it's even rarer to find someone as funny, kind, and smart. Those are traits you lack," I reply.

Her faces flushes red with anger. "I don't lack anything!" she yells.

I let her down, my anger subsiding. "You didn't just stumble into our room, did you? You had a purpose in coming here," I state.

She rubs her shoulder. "So what if I did?"

"You can't just go where you please and hurt people in your boredom. It's wrong," I say, narrowing my eyes.

"I can do whatever I want!" she yells.

And with that, she walks over to Lapis, raising a foot threateningly over her head. Only another moment, and she'll strike.

A burst of anger surges through my body, and I shove her into my bedside drawer. Her arm knocks into my lamp, which shatters, spraying glass shards all over the floor.

"Get away from her. Now," I growl, walking menacingly forward.

She shoots a glare in my direction and slowly walks out the door, calling, "This isn't over, Peridot."

The only clue that she'd ever been in our room was the blood-speckled glass shards on the floor.

oO0Oo

Lapis: 

I sit with my back against the wooden bed frame. After a moment, Peridot sits beside me. She stares into my eyes, and after a moment, she wipes a tear from my cheek.

"Are you okay?" she asks gently, her tone so different from what it was just moments before.

I sniffle. "Yeah, I'm fine," I weakly reply, "What about you?"

She gives a hollow laugh. "Not sure. I'll get back to you when I find out."

I look down, and after I moment I say, "I never really thought about it before. What Amethyst said. About me being weak."

Peridot grabs my hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I loop up at her face, and find it filled with passion.

"She's wrong. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. So what if you don't have huge muscles? Being able to lift some dumb weight isn't strength. Being strong is fighting through every obstacle life throws in your path without losing yourself. You've done that, and you've thrived," she says.

I cover my face with my free hand and give a small, quiet laugh.

"Lapis? Are you okay?" Peridot asks.

"What did I do to deserve someone as perfect as you?" I ask rhetorically.

She pulls me into a tight hug, and when I look up, I find her face only inches from mine. I can hear her every heartbeat against my chest. It gets faster every second.

"That's what I've been asking myself ever since I met you, Lapis," she murmurs softly.

I smile warmly. "I love you, Peridot."

"I love you too, Lapis.'


	15. Living the Dream

**First thought I'd add this in between chapters 6 and 7, so if it seems off, sorry.**

Peridot:

I woke up the next day at four in the morning when my lungs stopped working.

I immediately panic. Was I having a stroke? A seizure? The answer was none of the above.

Apparently, sometime during the night, Lapis had fallen out of bed… and landed on me. She was covering my face, so I couldn't breathe. I knew I had to get her off somehow, but I didn't want to wake her tonight. She was so peaceful.

I gently pushed her down until she was resting on my chest. I could feel her every breath against my own, fast against slow and melodic.

It took me a moment to realize that she was literally sleeping on me. I was grateful that Lapis was asleep so she didn't see me blushing. I was about to move her off, when I realized that if I did, she probably would be less comfortable. The floor was rock hard. I couldn't let her sleep on such low quality ground. And okay, I'll admit it, I kind of liked it.

So all I did was use my elbow to gently cradle her head and chest. Our heads were touching. I could feel her soft hair against my face, her warm breath against my skin. I leaned closer to her, and we softly bumped noses.

Even though I couldn't see her, I could still picture her clearly in my mind. The way her whole face lit up when she laughed, the rosy blush that never failed to appear on her cheeks when we touched, how her eyes would stare at me when she thought I wasn't looking; of course I was looking, I couldn't ever bear to take my eyes off her.

It was at this moment that I realized I truly loved her. Not puppy love, but a head-over-heels kind of love. I wondered if I would ever tell her, if she felt the same way. I hope she did.

Sleep came easily with her by my side.

oO0Oo

Lapis, Two Hours Earlier:

I can tell that it's a dream right away. It doesn't make it any less frightening.

It starts off as the usual nightmare about Jasper. In my dream, she saunters up to me, grinning.

"Hey, Lazuli," dream Jasper says.

I play along. It's the only thing that'll work.

"Please leave me alone, Jasper," I murmur.

She laughs. "And miss out on all the fun? In your dreams, Lazuli."

I look away. This is always the part where –

Predictably, Jasper slams her fist into my face. I stumble backwards, tripping over my own feet and landing on the floor.

But then she deviates from the script. Instead of kicking me, as she usually does, she sits down beside me and traps me in a hug. I whimper quietly.

"You'll be mine someday, Lazuli," dream Jasper whispers.

She kisses me lovingly on the cheek, and I scream with terror.

I sit up with a jolt and slam my head into the top of the bed above me.

Muttering curses under my breath, I check the time on my watch. It's only two in the morning. Still plenty of time to dream.

I know I can't go back. I face my fears enough during the day. I don't want to do it at night either. I'm still shaking from the dream.

Looking down at the floor at Peridot, I know the only way I'll get any sleep tonight is by being next to her. But would she feel comfortable with it?

I remember her words from the first day I met her.

" _I've only known you for a few days, but I don't want you to get hurt,"_ she had said.

My dreams did hurt. A lot. She wouldn't want that, right?

I slowly get out of bed and lay next to her on the ground. I feel so exposed next to her in just a tee shirt and short shorts. It's not exactly that warm on the floor either, but I couldn't find her blanket. Blushing, I turn my back to her and gently wrap her arms around me.

Looking back on it, I wouldn't have made it through that night without her.

oO0Oo

Peridot, Present:

When I wake up again, the sun has risen and casts golden light across Lapis and I. She's still fast asleep against my chest. I smile softly and close my eyes again until she wakes up.

But as soon as she does, I realize how close we are. How close I pulled her in.

I hear her tiny gasp of surprise and pretend to be asleep.

That doesn't last long. Once she realizes how close we are, she quietly murmurs a curse, followed by, "She's so cute."

The corner of my mouth twitches.

"You heard that, didn't you?" she asks with a sigh.

I open my eyes, and find her ice blue irises right in front of my celery green ones.

"Yeah. Sorry about, um, this. It was in the middle of the night, and I don't know what I was thinking," I say. Neither of us has moved yet. A chill goes down my spine. Had she always been this pretty?

She laughs. "You think it was your fault? I woke up at around two with a nightmare and laid down next to you for… moral support," she murmurs.

"I'm glad I was here, then. The last thing I'd ever want to do is leave you," I say softly.

"You'll stay with me?" she mumbles.

I pull her into an even closer hug. My face is buried in her shoulder. "Always," I whisper.

She returns my hug, and we lay there for what seemed like forever.

"I don't know if I've told you this, Peridot, but I love you," she whispers.

I smile. "I love you too."


	16. No Running in the Hallways

**What is wrong with me? Why do I write stuff like this? Who knows…?**

Lapis:

Do you ever do something that feels like a dream, but it's not? It's reality. Harsh. Cold. Unforgiving. One moment a paradise, the next a shattered nightmare. It's almost like the universe has mood swings, just like any teenager would. Sometimes this is one of the few thoughts that comforts me. Because sugar coating it is better than facing it. Maybe that's my problem. I can't face life head on. I can't face anything, or even anyone for that matter, either.

Maybe I should explain where these dark thoughts are coming from.

Earlier in the morning of that fateful day, everything had been amazing. Getting rest for more than eight hours, great. Sleeping next to Peridot, awesome. Even the embarrassment of waking up was fine compared to what happened next.

Peridot and I were just walking down to breakfast, when I took a detour.

"Come on," I said, pulling Peridot along by the hand. "I want to show you this one spot on campus. It has my favorite view."

She laughed. "Alright then, sure. Let's see if this place can meet my standards."

"I'm going to knock your socks off with this spot. Besides, since when has anything ever met your standards?" I reply, picking up my pace.

"Well, you managed to do it somehow," she replied with a grin.

I take a turn down another corridor, but this one has someone blocking it.

"Hey, you two. Taking a nice leisurely stroll?" she asks. It's Jasper.

"Let's get out of here, come on," Peridot whispers in my ear. But I can't. I'm paralyzed with fear.

I take one step back. That's all I can manage. The dream from last night is still fresh in my mind.

"Because I can assure you," Jasper continues, cracking her knuckles, "This stroll will no longer be nice nor leisurely."

"Run," I mutter back to Peridot. "She won't chase you if she has me."

"You think I'm just going to let you be her punching bag? No way," Peridot furiously replies.

"The both of us here, together – it's taunting her. If it's just one of us here, she'll calm down. You – she's jealous of you for having me. But she likes me, or so she says, and she'll go easy. Please, run!" I say, my eyes tearing up.

I try to use my free hand to push her away, but she catches it easily. "I'm staying by you, now and forever," she whispers.

In the time it took for us to have our little heated discussion, Jasper has casually walked up to us. Fifteen feet, then ten, five, until she's only a foot away. She stares into my eyes. If my irises look like ice, then hers are like fire; a glowing amber. But when fire an ice are together, ice melts.

Even though she's half a foot taller, I still stare back arrogantly.

"Sorry, I'm not really feeling this whole conflict thing today. Maybe another time. Or never," I say boldly.

She gives one harsh laugh. "You've got spunk, I'll give you that. Maybe that's why I like you. But sadly for you, I have it too."

And then she hits me. It's as simple as that. She slaps my face with her palm, connecting painfully with my nose. Blood spatters over my face, her hand. Almost like freckles. Peridot's yelp only faintly registers in my mind.

I continue to stare back. "I'm not afraid of you."

And there it was. My big mistake.

Jasper grins. "Ha. You're not, huh?"

And this was the part when I realized my fault. Her tone of voice, the look in her eye. It's deadly.

I swallow the bile steadily rising in my throat. No going back now. The best I could do was direct her attention at me, not Peridot. "No, I'm not. Go ahead, prove me wrong," I yelled, a crazed look in my eye.

"Gladly," was her only response.

And then all hell broke loose.

oO0Oo

The next moment, all I remember was the breath being knocked out my lungs. She'd kicked me in the stomach, knocking me onto the floor. My head slammed into the hard ground. My act of defiance was gone. All that was left was fear.

Jasper quickly put her foot on my back, effectively pinning me down. My vision blurred, my thoughts slurred, I began to flail. She only laughed.

"That's the best fight you can give? I've seen so much better from you. I bet your girlfriend here could give me a better match," Jasper growls, tracing over my scar with her finger.

"Not her," I mumble.

"Then put some effort into it, Lazuli," she harshly whispered.

Peridot? Where was she?

She chose the perfect time to enter the fight; right when I was too injured to protect her.

Jasper's weight was suddenly knocked off me. Peridot had tackled Jasper to the ground. I shakily stood up, but my vision was still blurred and I was walking like a drunk man.

I could just make out the form of Jasper raising her fist above Peridot.

"Wait. What do you want from me, Jasper?" I say as loudly as I can.

She glances over. "I want you to be mine again, Lazuli. More than we once were." The thought terrifies me. I want none of it.

"I'll make a deal. Let Peridot out of this, and I'll do one thing of your choice. Just let her go," I say.

"It's not worth it, Lapis!" Peridot's muffled cry barely reaches my ears.

I stand in front of Jasper, my fists clenched. "Go ahead. Do your worst."

She stands up, and Peridot begins to follow. Jasper picks her up by her collar and throws her down the hallway. She's conscious, but in a daze.

Jasper gets close and closer. Fear grows in my heart. I want out, but I'm not important right now.

I close my eyes, terrified of what blow she'll use. Uppercut? Slap? Hammerfist?

But instead of any of that, she plants a soft kiss between my eyes.

And that's when I broke.

oO0Oo

Sometime after Jasper left but before Peridot got to her feet, I passed out. When I wake up, it's with tears in my eyes.

Peridot is sitting at the end of the bed. "Morning, sunshine."

I sleepily rub my head and find a long bandage. "Are you okay?" I ask groggily. My thoughts still aren't clear, but truth be told, they never have been.

Her gaze fixes on mine. "You're the one who got hurt. By the way, don't ever do that again. I was worried sick."

I give a harsh laugh that isn't mine. "Not really willing to relive that experience again, so you don't have to worry about repeating it."

She looks at me with pity. "How do you feel? About… all of it."

"Let's just say I've dreamed of exactly that in nightmares. Not fun," I mutter.

She lifts my lead up softly. "Please, take care of yourself as best you can."

"I had to protect you, P. I don't know what I'd do without you."

She thinks about this for a moment. "I suppose you're right. Jasper would have free reign." I flinch. It would be ten times worse than what happened just now. "But what am I supposed to do if you break? Wait around the rest of my life for someone who died years ago?" she asks, her voice cracking.

I sit up and hug her. "I promise I'll never leave you."

She relaxes and hugs me back.

oO0Oo

Peridot:

I wake up again in the middle of the night – or more like eleven. We'd gone to bed early last night, exhausted from our battle with Jasper. This time, though, I wake up because Lapis is thrashing in her bed again.

I sit up, yawning, and tap her lightly on the shoulder. She continues tossing and turning, muttering in her sleep. I stand closer and shake her shoulders.

"Wake up," I whisper.

I hear a loud thump followed by a curse. "Wha- Peridot?" she mutters.

"Yeah. What just happened?" I murmur back.

"I… kind of punched the bunk. It was reflex, sorry," she replies, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Dreaming about her again?" I ask quietly.

She sighs. "Yeah. I know I shouldn't, but I just can't get her out of my mind… in the bad way."

"Is there ever a good way?" I question.

"Yeah. When we first met, I couldn't stop thinking about you. I still can't," she replies.

I hide my blush in the dark. "Do want to go do something to take your mind off it?"

She perks up. "Like what?"

I reached over to turn the lamp on. "I don't know. What do normal teens do?" I ask.

She gives a harsh laugh. "We're not exactly normal teens. I have no clue what those guys do. Homework? Chores? Who knows?"

I shrug. "Well, you're rebellious, right?"

"In a manner of speaking."

"What's the most clichéd delinquent thing you can think of?" I ask.

She grins. "I don't know if you could handle that."

I smirk. "Try me."

A bit of her old spark came back to her eyes. "We could always go tag something."

"Have you ever actually done that?" I ask, hiding my shock with confidence.

"Once, yeah. I have a few cans of spray paint in my dresser. We should totally go do that," she continues, giving me a lopsided smile.

"Let's do it," I say, grinning.

"Really?" she asks.

"Really."


	17. Moonlit Rain

**What am I doing with my life ugh who knows here have more story. Also I try to balance out the chapters between fluff and dark. If one is too dark, I'll make the next obnoxiously fluffy. That's how you got chapter 15 lol.**

Peridot:

"So we're actually doing this?" I ask as Lapis throws open her bureau drawers, tossing multiple cans of spray paint onto the bed.

"Yep. You should get dressed, though. You've got to hide your identity. I'm pretty sure the school can figure out who you are just based on how much green you're wearing," she continues.

I look down at my completely green outfit. "I don't remember you having a problem with the way I dressed before," I reply, though I still open my bureau drawers to find something more suitable.

"And I still don't. It's just a little outgoing for what we're doing," she remarks.

"All I own is green," I complain.

A navy hoodie hits me in the face. "I've been wearing your green hoodie all term, so I guess it's your turn to wear one of mine," she says.

I sigh, though I'm inwardly excited. I finally get something to remind me of her. "Turn around, I'm going to change and stuff," I reply, facing the wall.

"Sure, dude. By the way, take this," she says, and a dark green bandana hits me in the face.

"Are you aiming for my head or something?" I mutter.

I hear a muffled, "Yes," from across the room.

oO0Oo

In two minutes we're both fully dressed. I have on Lapis's hoodie with the hood pulled up, grey skinny jeans, and a dark green bandana wrapped around my face. Lapis has on a black hoodie, bleached skinny jeans, black skater shoes, a black beanie, and two navy bandanas; one around her face and the other on her knee. I have to look away so she won't notice me blushing, and out of the corner of my eye, I notice her doing the same.

"Uh… remind me why I'm dressed like this again?" I mutter, breaking the silence.

She smirks. "That's easy, dude. You wanted to do something rebellious, and we've got to look the part. I refuse to do this halfway."

I roll my eyes. "Whatever. Let's just go."

We grab the multi-colored cans of spray paint and our skateboards and head out the door. Lapis takes me down a series of turns until we reach a window.

We stare at each other for a moment, and I sigh.

"We're going to jump-" I start.

She nods. "Yup. We're going to jump out the window. It's only a two-story drop."

"Only two stories?" I repeat.

She wiggles her eyebrows. "I've fallen worse. If you're really worried, I can catch you."

"Nothing I say will stop you, will it?"

"Nope," she replies, grinning.

She jumps out of the window with surprising ease, dropping into a roll on contact with the ground.

She stands up and brushes herself off. "Your turn, dude."

I lean out of the window. "You're joking, right?"

She smiles perkily. "What about this situation makes you think I'm joking?"

I sigh and throw my hands up in the air. "Fine. But you'd better catch me, or…"

"Or what?" she calls back.

"Or I'll be kind of angry I guess. I can't really do anything with broken ribs. Just please catch me," I reply.

She shrugs and holds her arms out. I slowly lean out the window, and for one terrifying moment, I'm weightless. And then I hit her arms, and I breathe out in relief.

"I told you I'd catch you," she whispers.

"I consider myself lucky to be caught by someone so beautiful."

"That's my line," she murmurs. We stare at each other for a moment before she coughs.

I blush and step out of her arms. "That was a… fun experience…" I say to break the silence.

"So what I'm hearing is that you want to try it again?" Lapis asks.

"You must be deaf, then," I reply.

She laughs and puts her arm around my shoulders. "C'mon, dude. The night is still young. We've got plenty of stuff to do."

"I'm pretty sure it's after midnight."

"Still young," she replies confidently.

I laugh and shake my head. "Alright, dude, sure. Let's go vandalize some stuff or whatever."

"That's what I'm talking about," she says, hopping on her skateboard.

oO0Oo

We finally hop off our boards when we reach the old tennis courts. The tennis nets have long since broken, and the ground hasn't been raked in what looks like years. But I spot what Lapis is going for: a twenty foot long wood paste sheet on one side of the courts. Tennis players use it as a bounce back for practice.

"You have the spray paint, right?" I ask.

"Peridot you literally were the one who threw it out the window five minutes ago. You know I have it," she replies. I look at her in the dim light. Despite the courts being unused, the overhead lamps still cast a faint glow over the concrete. Lapis is looking around confidently. It's good to see her this way.

"It's called breaking the silence, Lapis," I counter, lightly punching her shoulder.

"Whatever. If you're so interested in the spray paint, why don't you tag something first?" Lapis asks.

I rub the back of my neck. "I've, uh, never actually used spray paint before," I mutter.

She throws a can of spray paint at me. It's green, just like I'd expected. She knew better than to give me any other color. "You literally just point and spray. You'll be fine," she says.

I walk over to the wooden backboard (seriously that needs a better name), and hold the spray can out in front of me. I press down on the nozzle, and –

"Ahhh!" I exclaim, clutching my face.

"What happened?" Lapis calls from behind.

"I sprayed myself in the face!" I yell, dropping the paint can.

Lapis howls with laughter. "You did not. You're screwing with me."

"I would not be screaming this much if it was a joke!" I replied.

She clutches her stomach, still laughing.

I walk over to her. "It's not that funny! Look at my face, dude! It's green!" This only makes her laugh harder.

I sigh, and spray her in the face with my green paint. She coughs, having swallowed some of it. "Ah! That tasted like cellophane!" she exclaims, doubling over.

I shrug and put on my best 'innocent' face. "Whoops. My bad."

She clutches something behind her back, and in the moment it takes me to identify it as a spray paint can, she acts.

"Tell me if blue tastes any better!" she exclaims, spraying paint at me.

I close my eyes to avoid being hit. As harmless as it was when sprayed on skin, I had a feeling it could do something nasty to my vision. I spray my green blindly, aiming for anything that moves.

I look at Lapis's bag, and grab a second can of paint. Red. "When I'm done, you'll look like a Christmas tree!" I yell.

She grabs a second can too. Blue again. "Oh yeah? Well, when I'm done, you'll look… like me, I guess!" she replies.

It goes on like this for what seems like forever; running, chasing, spraying, until both of us are wiped out. I look at her in the moonlight. The paint on her face only brings out the color of her hair more, hiding her freckles. She grins, staring off into the distance.

"Do you want to spray something other than us?" I ask.

Her grin widens. "Sure. Do you want me to go first?"

I shrug. "Go for it, dude. Let's see if you can hit something that's not me."

She picks up her spray paint and walks over to the wall. "Sure. Ten bucks says I can."

"I'm not taking that bet," I call.

Once she's done, I read her tag out loud. "Greenie is a total nerd," I read. "Really? Greenie? After all this time?"

She shrugs and smirks. "Writing my own name is boring. Now this; this'll last forever. You should be thankful. People for generations to come will know what a huge dork you are. That's a pretty great legacy, if you ask me."

I stand up and stretch. "Whatever. I guess I'll just have to write something to top this."

"I'd like to see you try," she calls.

I walk over to the wall and uncap the spray paint can. "I just realized that I never really gave you a nickname."

She shrugs. "You're not much of a nickname person."

"Yeah, but you are," I reply. "Let's see… You like water… I could always call you splash splash girl or something."

"Okay, but please do not," she calls.

I roll my eyes good-naturedly. "So picky… What else is water-related? Puddles, oceans, rain-"

"That last one is the best I've heard yet," she interrupts.

"Yeah, 'rain' does beat 'splash splash girl.' And I guess you fell from the window just like rain falls from the sky," I reply.

"Please do not make any more metaphors. Also, if I remember correctly, I dropped down from the window just fine while you needed someone to catch you," she remarks.

Ignoring her last comment, I declare, "Alright, I'll call you Rain."

I slowly tag the wall. It's not as artistic as Lapis's, but it's legible.

"Rain is a huge dork and should not be trusted with spray paint," she reads. "Fair enough. It's pretty wordy, though I guess since you're covered in blue, it's pretty accurate."

I stand next to her. I can see her breath in the cold winter air. Sometimes, I forget how pretty she was, with her kind, yet piercing ice blue eyes, and her warm smile that could light up the room in an instant.

"What now? Do we just… go back?" I ask quietly.

"Nah, are you kidding? I brought some soda and a few blankets. We can stay out here until the sun rises. No one is going to find us," she replies, smiling.

I pick up her backpack and bring it over. I pull out two blankets and lay them out on the ground. We sit down together, and she leans on my shoulder. I pull out some sodas, handing one to her. She takes it, cracks it open, and takes a hesitant sip. We gaze up at the diamond-like stars.

"I love you, Peri," she whispers.

"I love you too, and I always will," I reply.

We fall asleep together, still staring at the stars.


	18. Ripples on the Lake

**I do not know what I am writing please send help before I screw it up because I wrote this after midnight on multiple days and each time my judgement and sense of humor grew progressively worse**

Lapis:

When I wake up, Peridot is still by my side. I put my hand to my chest and feel the teardrop shaped charm from so long ago. Had it really only been a few months? Time flew by.

When she woke up, I smiled softly. "Morning, dude. What a night," I murmur.

She rubs her head. "I think I inhaled too much of that spray paint. What time is it?"

I grab her wrist to check her watch. "It's one in the afternoon," I reply. She doesn't answer, and I realize I'm still holding her wrist. I let go, blushing furiously.

"What do you want to do for the rest of the day, then?" she asks, stifling a yawn.

"I don't know, dude. I'm still exhausted from yesterday. And covered in spray paint," I say, looking down at my red and green painted clothes.

Peridot smirks. "You really do look like a Christmas tree."

I roll my eyes. "Then let's go somewhere to wash off. You look like the ocean threw up on you."

"The oceans are brown from pollution, not blue," Peridot remarks,

"Fine. You look like a blueberry. Does that analogy suit you better?" I say dryly.

"Yeah, much better. Let's go to the ocean or something to wash off," she replies.

"Well, since you think the ocean is so brown and polluted, why don't we go somewhere else?" I comment, throwing her words back.

"Have any place in mind?" she asks.

I grin. "Just one. There's a lake in the woods about fifteen minutes away. You want to check it out?"

"Beats standing here covered in paint," she says, picking up our blankets.

oO0Oo

While we're hiking to the lake, I try to make small talk.

"You're getting pretty good at jumping fences by now," I say.

"Yeah. What a precious lifelong skill. I'll make sure to include it on my resume," she replies, not missing a beat.

"It comes in very handy throughout the course of your life," I agree.

"When have you ever used it for something other than rule breaking?" she asks.

"When have I ever done anything other than break rules?" I reply.

"You went to class once, remember? The first day we met," she notes.

"Yeah, but that was only to cover the fact that I broke the plumbing again, which as I may remind you, is against the rules."

"That's against the rules? There go my weekend plans," she says in a dry voice.

"Now that you've freed up your schedule, maybe you can make time to stop at the lake. Like right about now," I continue.

"I think that just might work out," she says.

Just then, we find ourselves in front of the lake. It's as big as a swimming pool, and it surrounded by trees on all sides.

oO0Oo

"So, uh, we just get in?" she asks.

I run into the water in response.

"So, uh, I'll take that as a yes?" she calls from the shore.

"Not unless you want to stay a blueberry forever," I reply just before I sink underwater.

It's gorgeous under the lake. The water refracts light all over the lake bottom, and the water is crystal clear. I can see every detail, but hear no sound. It's the one place I feel at home. Out of breath, I surface again.

"You were under for so long I thought you drowned. Are you a fish or something?" Peridot calls, taking off her socks on the shore.

"If I were a fish, I wouldn't have legs, Peri," I respond.

"Maybe you're a fish-human hybrid, or a humish, if you will," I says thoughtfully.

"Oh no, you've found out my secret," I say dryly.

She slowly wades into the water, but only up to her ankles.

"Come on, P. You're taking baby steps. Just dive in head first, like this," I say as I pull her deeper.

"Lapis, that is most definitely not a good idea," she says, now almost up to her chin.

"Are you scared?" I ask, grinning.

"Okay, I know I should've said something before, but I actually can't swim, and this is getting a little uncomfortable," she says, lifting her head up to stay above the waves.

I stop pulling. "Why didn't you just say so? I'll show you how."

She slowly starts walking back to the shallower area. "As long as it doesn't involve me drowning, sure."

"Probably not. Hopefully not," I reply.

"That's so reassuring. All my fears are gone. Thanks for the lovely inspiration," she says sarcastically.

"You're very welcome. I should be a cheerleader."

"Yeah, but with fewer pom poms and much more sarcasm,"she replies, the corners of her mouth twitching.

oO0Oo

"So, uh, how should I start?" she asks nervously.

"Just start with floating on your back," I reply.

She nervously tries to lean back, but only ends up throwing her head back dramatically.

"You look like you belong on a fashion runway," I snort.

She lifts her leg up and throws her arm back, perfectly imitating a dancer doing a dip.

I snicker and she says, "Is this sexy enough for you?"

"Woah, man. I don't think I'm ready for something that hot. Take it down a notch, dude," I say, grinning.

"If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen," she replies, closing her eyes dramatically.

"Okay. Bye," I call, swimming to shore.

"Wait, Lapis, don't leave me, I still can't swim!" she replies.

"Can't take the heat?" I ask, swimming back.

"Shut up and show me how to float."

"Sure. Just lean back, and I'll try to steady you. But I swear, if you pull anything else like that on me again, I can and will let you drown," I warn.

She closes her eyes and lays spread eagled on the water. I notice her legs are still too far under, and I lift up her back.

"Holy – I'm actually doing it! I'm floating on water! Lapis, look!" she cries, excited.

I smile. "I'm looking," I reply.

"I know you're holding me up, but I'm still doing it!" she exclaims.

"I can let go if you want," I reply.

"No, just let me stay like this for a while longer," she says.

"Okay," is my only response.

oO0Oo

"Lapis? Thanks for holding me," she says after a few minutes.

I blush. "Yeah? It was, uh, no problem, I guess," I reply.

"And now I'm going to return the favor," she says.

"Wait, what?" I ask, confused.

"We're going to switch spots," she replies.

"I know how to float," I say, raising an eyebrow.

"I want to prove that I'm useful. Now let me down so I can do that, please," she declares.

I slowly let her sink down, and she sighs. She then holds her arms out expectantly.

I smile, shaking my head, and lay back in the water as I had a thousand times before. I feel her arms go under me, and I realize why she'd stayed this way so long. It was comforting, yet freeing. I close my eyes and let the waves wash over me.

"You are not falling asleep on me," she mutters good-naturedly.

"It's called relaxing, Peri," I reply.

After a minute, I say, "Okay, it's fine. I think I'm as calm as I can get."

She lets me down slowly, and says, "Show me something else."

"Sure. I'll show you how to do the crawl," I reply.

I show her the stroke, swimming around the edge of the lake. Once I make one full lap back around to where she stands, I notice that she has a dreamy glow on her face.

"Peridot? You there?" I ask, waving my hand in front of her face.

She jolts. "Yeah, sorry. I just… can't help but think how at home you look in the water."

I shrug. "Water's pretty cool, I guess. I don't know."

"You seem happy when you swim," she continues.

"Look, are we here to talk about me, or to be in the water?" I ask, rubbing my shoulder.

"Both, I guess," she says, grinning.

"Just go practice swimming," I say, rolling my eyes.

I watch her take a few tentative laps around the lake while I lay on my back and float. I stare up at the sky, watching the leaves falling off trees with every gust of wind. Peace is something I don't feel often, though I do enjoy it when it comes. But I've never been one to sit and idle.

It takes me a moment to register her cries for help. But once I place them, I take no hesitation.

She's drowning.

oO0Oo

My eyes widen, and I only allow myself to sink below the surface for a moment before I leap out again, pushing off from the sandy bottom with all my might. I see her near the middle of the pool, desperately attempting to tread water, something I should've taught her from the beginning. If she drowned now, I'd never forgive myself.

She sinks beneath the surface, and my eyes widen. I'm not losing her, not now. I plunge under the surface, watching as she falls towards the lake floor. I dive down until I reach her, and I grab her arm. I push off the lake floor, but with our combined weight, it's not enough.

 _I'm going to die here,_ I think. My face sets into a look of determination, and I swim and kick with all my might to reach the surface. Her face reaches the air, but I don't dare stop, even though I can't breathe. I finally reach the shore, and I dump her on the soft sand. I take in huge gasps of air as I collapse on the ground.

I put my hand to her wrist, trying to find a pulse. It's slow, but there. Her eyes are still closed, and I sigh with relief.

oO0Oo

After a minute, she wakes up.

"Morning… I think. What time is it?" she asks.

I hug her. "It's four in the afternoon, you nerd. You almost drowned," I exclaim.

A look of shock registers on her face, but is quickly is replaced by a small grin. "Well, I somehow managed to stay alive, though I think I've had enough water for one day. I'm ready to head out," she replies, beginning to stand.

I put a hand on her chest, holding her back. "You almost died! Don't you think you should rest for now?"

She shrugs. "What does it matter? I'll be fine," she says, attempting to stand. Almost immediately, her legs begin to shake, and she's forced back down. "On second thought, let's just relax."

oO0Oo

We spend the rest of the day talking on the beach. At sundown, I search for my pack to see if I can find any food.

"Okay, don't get mad, but I kind of only packed food for last night. We're going to have to go back to the school," I say, glancing into my almost empty pack.

She shrugs. "No big deal. I can wait."

"Neither of us has had anything to eat since yesterday. You need your strength," I reply.

She looks slightly nervous, but says, "It's fine. Besides, I don't think I can walk that far. And I'm not even that hungry."

I raise my eyebrow as her stomach growls. "Not hungry, huh?"

She glares at the ground. "Whatever. Let's just camp out for tonight."

I shake my head. "Let's go back. I can carry you."

She raises an eyebrow. "You really think you can carry me for twenty minutes? I knew you were crazy, but this is overdoing it."

I blush and tense up. "I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas! We both need food, and this is our only option, unless you count eating leaves."

She puts her hand on my knee. "Relax. If it means that much to you, sure, but I'd still you rather rest. As I recall, you also almost drowned while you were saving me."

I take a deep breath. "Let's go get food. I think you should rest in a bed tonight, too."

I slowly stand up, stretching my legs as I do. I carefully pick her up, and say, "You good?"

She nods, and I notice she's blushing. "Y- yeah."

I take one step at a time, slowly, and once I feel comfortable, I break into a quick jog.

"Shouldn't you go a bit slower in the dark?" Peridot asks.

"Yeah, but the gates close in ten minutes, and it takes more than that to walk there," I reply. "I'd rather not have to climb the fence in the dark."

"Can you see where you're going?" she asks, concerned.

I narrow my eyes. All I can see are dark forms silhouetted by a starless sky. "Sure. It'll be good enough, don't worry."

"I'm pretty worried," she mutters.

Just as she says that, I sidestep a tree. "Hey, I can manage well enough."

"Are you sure we're even going in the right direction?" she asks.

"Nope. Hopefully my instincts are right, or we'll be completely lost."

I feel my calves burn, and as I look down, I can just see the faint outlines of thorn bushes. I mutter a few choice curses, and slowly navigate my way through with little success.

"You good?" she questions, looking down at the thorns.

"Everything is under control," I mutter.

I make it out of the thorn patch and continue to sprint toward the nearest lights.

"I think we're almost there!" I exclaim.

Moments after I say that, the lights cut off, and I squint in confusion. Realization hits me, and I turn sideways, shielding Peridot, just as I run into a tree at full force. I bounce back, but I manage to keep my footing. My head throbs and I can barely open my left eye.

"Are you okay? What happened?" Peridot asks.

"I just hit something. It's fine," I reply, definitely not okay.

I sprint through the gate with a minute to spare. As the golden light from the building brings us into view, I look down at Peridot. She's blushing, staring into my face. When she notices that I've caught her, she blushes even harder.

I pretend not to notice.

I finally make it up to our dorm and dump her on the bed without turning on the lights. "Do you want the bed to yourself tonight?" I ask.

She shrugs. "I'm okay with whatever. I know there's not enough space, but a little company would be welcome. Do what you want."

"Since you almost drowned today, I'd rather give you some space," I reply.

"Alright. Goodnight, Lapis," she murmurs.

"Goodnight. I love you," I say, lying down on the floor.

"I love you too," she replies, draping her hand off the bed.

I take it without hesitation just as I fall asleep.


	19. Running Out Of Ideas (Not Time haha)

**:/**

Lapis:

I wake up to see Peridot wrapping bandages around my legs. I sit up slowly and rub my head.

"What're you doing?" I ask groggily.

She glares at me, angrier than I've seen her in a while. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you tell me something was wrong last night?"

I look down at my legs, which are covered in long scratches and blood. I remember running through the thorn thicket hours before. "I don't know, I guess it slipped my mind. It's not that important."

She shakes her head. "Not important? Of course you're important! I love you, Lapis! Please take care of yourself," she says grabbing my hand.

I pull her into a hug. "I love you too. I'll do it for you."

After a moment, she breaks away. "How do you feel?"

"Okay, I guess," I reply.

She continues to bandage my leg. "I mean emotionally."

I think about it for a moment. "Tired. My life is mostly a mess."

"Yeah," she replies.

The fact that she doesn't argue, that she accepts it, calms me down.

"What about you? Somebody almost drowned yesterday," I ask.

She ties a final knot, and looks up. "If I recall, we both almost drowned. But really, I feel energized. Whatever life is going to throw at me next, I'm ready."

I nod and begin to stand up.

She shakes her head. "I still want to look at your eye."

"What about it?" I ask.

"You have a black eye. What more is there to talk about?"

I sit back down and look at her face. She's radiating confidence. Getting out of the dorm seems to have been good for her. Except that part where she almost drowned.

I almost forget that she, too, is looking at my face, because when she reaches her hand out to put cooling ointment on my black eye, I instinctively grab her wrist.

She only grins. "Do you remember that you did that once before? It was right here in this room, back when we first met."

"Yeah. We were so awkward back then," I reply.

"We're still awkward," she counters.

"Yeah, but at least now we can like, hold hands and stuff and it's not awkward," I say.

"If we hug, is that awkward?" she asks shyly.

I grin and put my arm around her shoulders. "You tell me."

"Fair enough," she says, leaning her head on my shoulder.

oO0Oo

"So, uh, what do you want to do today?" she asks.

"Cry, probably," I reply.

"You do that every day," she says, smiling, "Maybe change it up and… not cry."

"Yeah, no. What else is there to do in life?" I question.

"You've got me there," she concedes, grinning.

I look away. "In all seriousness, though, I think I'm just going to work out today. Spend some time to think. I haven't done that in a while," I murmur.

"Alright, I think that's good. I'm going back to my roots as a writer. I'll see you back here in a few hours," Peridot says with a wave.

I walk out of the doorway. "See you," I quietly reply.

oO0Oo

In all reality, my head was still spinning from the past three days. A fight, a wild night out, and a moment when I almost drowned. It was enough to make anyone with any sanity left curl up and cry. Luckily, I hadn't had any of that for years.

I slowly walked to the weight room, admiring the scenery as I strolled down the halls. The large windows had always been a favorite of mine at this school, and right now, as spring was just around the corner, the view was gorgeous. You could almost see the mountains through the forest.

I finally walked into the weight room. It was completely empty, thankfully. With my pick in equipment, I stepped up to the punching bag. Nothing like pounding your problems out.

I took a deep breath and dropped into a fighting stance. I aimed a quick jab at the center of the bag. As I did, I thought about everything, really. _The teachers' neglect._ Another jab. _Almost losing Peridot._ A push kick. _Jasper's flirting._ A heavy punch, followed by a roundhouse kick. _My parents._ A spinning back kick, punch, chop. _How I couldn't defend Peridot against Jasper._ I rolled under the bag, whipped aroumd, and lead into an uppercut. _The kiss from Jasper._ My eyes stinging with tears, I attempted to tackle the bag, but only ended up hugging it, sobbing.

oO0Oo

After drying off my face, I moved onto the treadmill and put it on the highest setting. When it came to dealing with me, no one had ever held back before, so why should I? I had to get in shape.

I started panting almost immediately, and used my water bottle to lightly splash water on my face. I kept going, my recently bandaged calves burning. I realized my mistake and stopped the treadmill. The bandages with spotted with red, and I rubbed my ankles wistfully.

I walked over to what was supposed to be the barbells. I guess since so few people used the weight room, the school decided to cut back on funding in here, so instead of barbells, we just had weighted staffs about five feet long that we were supposed to lift.

When I was younger, maybe seven or eight, my parents had signed me up for martial arts classes with Jasper. It was a mix of karate, judo, and jiu jitsu, so I got to learn a lot of different styles of fighting. Soon after they decided it was too much work to drive me ten minutes there once a week, so they pulled me out, but before they did, I got a chance to work with practice weapons, but my favorite was the bo staffs. They were exactly like the cheap 'barbells' that now lay in front of me.

I grabbed the lightest one, about thirty pounds, and started going through the motions. Side attack, backslash, overhead strike, uppercut, twirling block. I attacked the punching bag, striking blow after blow, rolling to the side and dodging every now and then just to keep it interesting.

I traded out for the next heaviest staff – about one hundred pounds – and kept going. My biceps stung, but I was so into it, I didn't notice a thing. Not even her.

"I can't believe you remember that much."

I whip around to find Jasper standing in the doorway to the weight room.

"Although, if I recall, bo staff _was_ your specialty," she continues, taking long strides toward me.

I point the end of the bo at her. "What do you want, Jasper?" I ask confidently.

She stops and puts her hands up in self-defense. "Take it easy, dude. All I was is a practice match."

I lower the bo by an inch and look at her skeptically. "A practice match? Didn't that always end horribly when we were kids?"

"Do you still consider yourself a child?" Jasper questions.

"No, I'm far from that," I agree.

"Look, no one else ever comes in here. I'm bored out of my mind. Everyone I attack can't hold a candle to my talent. Everyone, that is, except you. It's been years since we've had a match with weapons. Let's try it," she reasons.

I sigh. "I don't have a choice, do I?"

She picks up one of the heavier staffs, at almost one hundred fifty pounds. "Not really. Besides, I think you'll enjoy it."

I narrow my eyes at her and drop into a fighting stance. I hate to admit it, but she's right. This had been one of the few things I'd been good at when I was younger, and I missed it as much as her. Jasper grins and mirrors my movements. We begin to circle. Suddenly, she strikes.

oO0Oo

Peridot:

I sit down at the coffee table in the common room with a stack of lined paper and two different pens. Since the school didn't allow any electronics, I was stuck writing the old fashioned way, one of the reasons I hadn't continued the art since I'd arrived at the school, though I loved it with a burning passion.

I stare at the blank paper uncomprehendingly. What was I supposed to write?

I picked up one of the pens and touched it lightly against the thin paper. I had changed so much this year. Everything had gotten so intense.

I began to furiously scribble words on the sheet. I'd used to write for pleasure, but now I wrote for therapy.

I told the tale of two girls, each with their own personalities and flaws. But though they were flawed, I made their strengths what I lacked.

One of them came from the darkest places in my head, and the other was a girl I would fall for time and time again. The girl who was more like me wasn't just my paper copy. I gave her distinct differences; I had a love for writing, she had a love for sports, I had naturally blonde hair and green eyes, she had golden hair with hazel eyes. But we shared qualities as well. We were both socially awkward and loyal. It was everything I thought I was, but a few things changed to be more interesting.

The other girl was so clearly made after Lapis, I should've just changed her name. She too had dyed hair, but it was a deep red, almost brown, with honey brown eyes to match. The girls were both sarcastic and funny, and shared a love of art.

I poured my heart and soul into the first couple pages, creating a world where, though it had its flaws, I would still rather live. Yeah, I'd miss Lapis, but she lived on in these pages.

I sighed, and stared at the ceiling. I was a writer. How could I have lost sight of something so important? I was beginning to lose myself, or at least who I once was. I was becoming someone new, and it scared me. But most things did these days, so it didn't matter. At least I had someone to rely on.

oO0Oo

Lapis:

Jasper lunged in with a powerful thrust. I turned my bo, deflecting the strike, and went in for a side attack. She leaned her staff back, blocking my hit, and spun around. I ducked just as the bo came whizzing over my head. While her back was turned, I jabbed with the back side of my staff and hit her in the square of my back. It wasn't very powerful, and she spun around again; one end of her staff knocked my bo away, and the other end hit me in the neck.

I stumbled backwards, but instead of falling, I went backwards into a roll, using my momentum to pull me back onto my feet. As soon as I rolled up, Jasper came in with a downward strike, one of the more powerful moves, and I brought my staff up, shielding my head. The two poles came together with a sickening clank, and I flinched. Had I been a second slower, it would've been my head.

I brought my bo staff down to my shoulder, and then twirled it again so that it smashed against Jasper's ribs. She was knocked down onto her knees, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Not bad, seeing as you haven't been practicing in years. You could've been great…" she says in a raspy voice.

As soon as the words leave her mouth, she leaps towards me, the butt of her staff stabbing me in my chest, just over my heart. I'm knocked down onto the floor, and she puts her staff against my chin, a pose that usually means she thinks she's won the battle.

"…But you've let yourself grow soft. I've won," she declares.

I narrow my eyes. "I still have a shot. It's not over yet," I reply quietly.

She laughs boldly. "You really think you can beat me? You have guts. I guess that's what I like in you."

I recoil, and she laughs. "I'm surprised someone as tough as you is scared by me. You could beat me if you had a better attitude. But you insist on acting weak."

I flinch. "I'm just as strong as you... And I'll prove it!" I yell, knocking her staff away with my own. I spin around on my back until I reach a standing position.

She gives a hollow laugh. "You could've been me."

I glare at her. "But I chose to be someone better."

She rolls her eyes. "Please, spare me the bickering," she says, aiming a side strike at my head. "If you're so much better, then why are you always the one who ends up hurt?" I dodge the attack and spin my staff defensively.

I don't answer, and she grins. I aim a jumping overhead strike at her head, and she falters. Her staff is too far away to block mine. She's going to be hit. I look her in the eyes. She shows no fear. Instead, her gaze is challenging, as if she's trying to say, _I bet you can't do it._

This is the moment where I decide if I'm passive or aggressive, water or fire. If I redirect the blow, no one has to get hurt. If I keep going, I'll prove myself, but I'll be just as bad as Jasper.

My feet hit the ground, but my bo staff stays in the air raised over my head. Jasper laughs. "Couldn't make up your mind, huh?"

I'm shaking so hard I almost drop the staff. "I can't hurt anyone. I'm not you."

The smile drops off her face. She brings her bo into my stomach, and I'm knocked backwards. I refuse to fall, and I plant my feet firmly on the floor, skidding only a few inches. My bo is in one hand at my side. The look on my face is deadly.

"I've proved that I can beat you. Leave me alone," I declare, growling.

She laughs. "All you've proved is that you're not as much like Peridot as you'd hoped. She would've driven her strike into the ground. And you're also still a little like me. If it were me, I'd have hit you head on. The only reason you didn't hit me is because you ran out of time. The drive is there, Lapis. Just follow your instincts."

I give her no response, and I narrow my eyes as I leap forwards, spinning in a full three-sixty to hit her. She blocks my staff easily, but what she wasn't expecting was the accompanying kick. It hits her in the gut, and she stumbles backwards.

I raise my eyebrows in defiance. I walk to the exit, and just as I get to the end, I turn my head and drop my staff dramatically. "Practice is over," I declare.

As I turn back around, I almost think I catch a blush on her face.

oO0Oo

I walk brusquely through the halls, running my hands through my hair.

"I just beat Jasper," I whisper.

I slam open the room to the pink dorms, ignorant to my strength. Peridot, who'd been sitting on a couch writing, jumps. Papers go flying everywhere.

I smile and sit next to her. I give her a hug and lean on her shoulder.

"Someone looks happy," she says with a smile after she calms down.

I grin. "Yeah. You'd never believe what happened."

"You're right. I wouldn't. And, hey! Is that a new bruise on your jaw? Did you get hurt again?" she demands.

I rub it absently. "Yes? I mean, I wasn't really focused, but -"

She glares at me. "Are you hurt anywhere else?" she asks angrily.

I shrug. "I'm not really sure. My shins again, I guess, but that's not from Jasper, so-"

"Jasper? What does she have to do with this?" Peridot squawks.

I run my hand through my hair. "We, uh, got in a fight. But I won this time!" I exclaim.

Peridot's face lights up. "How? Okay, it's story time. Right now. Let's go," she says, leaning against the arm of the couch, folding her arms.

I grin and begin to recount my story. Peridot is a great audience; she gasps in all the right places and doesn't interrupt. When I finish my story, Peridot hugs me.

"Dude…" she begins, unable to finish.

"I know. I'm actually… strong, I guess? Weird, huh," I say.

"Uh, no. Not weird. You're incredibly strong, you always have been," she replies.

I blush lightly, and hide it by turning my head away.

"So what'd you do today?" I ask.

"I wrote a lot. My hand hurts, but it's nothing compared to your face. I'm ordering you to bed rest. No more fights or running into trees. You need sleep," Peridot says.

I shrug. "Not going to argue, dude, I'm exhausted. But I won't sleep. I just want to stay up and talk, something a normal…" I falter. What were we? "…pair of friends would do."

Peridot noticed the hesitation, but didn't mention it. "Alright. Let's get you into bed."

I get up and slowly walk towards our room. As Peridot walks beside me, I put my arm around her shoulder and lean my head onto hers. She puts her arm around me, and neither of us complains or even flinches.

I lay down in bed, yawning. I'm so tired, I barely notice it when Peridot tucks the covers over me.

"Night, dude," I whisper. Forget having a conversation, I'm too exhausted to say a full sentence.

"Goodnight, Lapis. Take a rest. You deserve it," she murmurs in reply.

Just before I fall asleep, she plants a soft kiss on my forehead.


End file.
